A community in Rhode Island is mourning after a targeted shooting at a high school hockey game left two people dead and three others critically injured, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves identified the victims killed in the Feb. 17 attack as Rhonda Lee Dorgan, 52, and her son, Aidan Dorgan, 23.
The shooting unfolded inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena, where family members had gathered to watch a high school hockey game involving another son.
Three additional victims remain in critical condition: Linda Dorgan and Gerald L. Dorgan, Rhonda’s parents, and Thomas Geruso, a longtime family friend. All were transported to area hospitals following the gunfire.
Police identified the shooter as Robert Kevin Dorgan, 56, Rhonda Dorgan’s ex-husband and the father of Aidan Dorgan.
Authorities said he also used the name Roberta. According to Chief Tina Goncalves, the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.
Investigators described the incident as an act of domestic violence and emphasized that the attack was targeted.
A review of surveillance footage has not shown any visible confrontation or exchange prior to the shooting. “He approached the family individually and fired upon them,” Goncalves said during a press briefing.
Rhonda Lee Dorgan was a resident of North Providence. Court records show she filed for divorce in 2020, citing irreconcilable differences.
The couple had married in 1992 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, and finalized their divorce in 2021.
Friends described Rhonda as compassionate and resilient, remembering her as someone who always carried a warm smile and prioritized her children.
Aidan Dorgan graduated from North Providence High School in 2021, where he served as captain of the varsity hockey and lacrosse teams and was a member of the National Honor Society. In 2025, he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Merrimack College.
Merrimack College President Christopher E. Hopey said Aidan was a bright and engaged student who made both the President’s and Dean’s lists and actively participated in engineering research projects.
After graduation, Aidan began working as an engineer at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, following an internship with the company.
A statement issued by the Dorgan family’s attorney, Lawrence J. Signore, said the family is cooperating fully with authorities and is “deeply and profoundly affected” by the tragedy.
The statement emphasized that the family’s focus remains on those who survived and whose lives have been permanently altered.
Authorities also addressed public questions regarding the shared last name of both the shooter and the victims.
According to historical census records, Robert Kevin Dorgan and Rhonda Lee Dorgan were related before their marriage.
Their families were connected through Edward F. Dorgan and Eva C. Dorgan of Smithfield, Rhode Island.
Edward F. Dorgan was the grandfather of Robert Kevin Dorgan and the great-grandfather of Rhonda Lee Dorgan, making the former spouses first cousins once removed.
As the investigation continues, law enforcement officials have reiterated that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Community members gathered outside the arena in the hours following the shooting, leaving flowers and hockey memorabilia in remembrance of Rhonda Lee Dorgan and Aidan Dorgan.
Police say they are continuing to review evidence and interview witnesses, while the community grapples with a tragedy that has left multiple generations of one family devastated.
