Authorities have identified the gunman responsible for a shooting at a high school hockey game in Rhode Island on Monday afternoon that left two people dead and three others critically injured. The suspect, 56-year-old Robert Dorgan, reportedly opened fire on four family members and a family friend before turning the weapon on himself.
The 56-year-old man’s name is Robert Dorgan, authorities confirmed on Monday night. Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves noted during a press conference that Dorgan also used the female name of Roberta and the surname Esposito.
Dorgan reportedly underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2020. Court filings revealed that Dorgan’s transgender identity became a focal point of several contentious family court battles leading up to Monday’s massacre. Police have characterized the shooting as the violent culmination of a long-standing domestic dispute.
When Dorgan’s ex-wife, Rhonda–who is believed to be among the deceased–filed for divorce in 2020, the initial filing cited “gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic and personality disorder traits.” These grounds were later amended to “irreconcilable differences.”
He also bizarrely claimed that his father-in-law had threatened to “have him murdered by an Asian street gang if he did not move out of the residence,” where he had lived for seven years, according to court documents.
An X account appearing to belong to Dorgan contains thousands of volatile posts. The content ranges from advocacy against anti-trans hate to disturbing antisemitic, pro-Nazi, and racist rhetoric.
In a response to a post calling openly trans U.S. Representative Sarah McBride a man, Dorgan wrote:
Keep bashing us. But do not wonder why we go BERSERK.
