Rhode Island shooting: Gunman was transgender parent who went by 'Roberta'; what we know about him

Two people were killed and three others critically injured Monday afternoon when a gunman opened fire at a high school hockey game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Authorities have identified the gunman as Robert Dorgan, a 56-year-old transgender father who reportedly shot four family members and a family friend before turning the gun on himself.




Multiple sources cited by the New York Post said the victims include the mother of Dorgan’s hockey player son and the student athlete’s sibling, though it is unclear if his ex-wife was among those killed.

Witnesses said a “Good Samaritan” attempted to subdue the gunman and disarmed him of one firearm, though he had a backup weapon. Both weapons were recovered by police. Authorities arrived at the scene around 2.30 pm, just two minutes after receiving the first call.

Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien said authorities are working with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office to confirm all details. “Pawtucket is a strong and resilient community, but tonight we are a city in mourning,” he said.

What we know about the shooter

Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves, as quoted by the New York Post, said Robert Dorgan also went by the female alias Roberta Esposito. “We have identified the person, the suspect, by a birth name, the birth name was Robert Dorgan,” Goncalves said. “We have also learned that the person does go by the name of Roberta, also uses a last name of Esposito.”

He was the father of a North Providence High School senior competing in the tournament and had undergone gender reassignment surgery in 2020.

His transgender identity had reportedly caused multiple family legal disputes.

His ex-wife initially cited “gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic + personality disorder traits” in a 2020 divorce filing, later changed to “irreconcilable differences,” and their divorce was finalized in 2021.

In 2020, Dorgan told police his father-in-law wanted him out of the family home due to his gender reassignment surgery and allegedly threatened him.

Dorgan’s online activity on X suggested anger and erratic behavior. In one post responding to an anti-trans remark about US Rep. Sarah McBride, he wrote, “keep bashing us. but do not wonder why we Go BERSERK.” His account also contained antisemitic, pro-Nazi, and racist posts, along with expressions of support for the Second Amendment and ICE, and disdain for abortion.

A woman leaving the Pawtucket police station said Dorgan was her father and described him as having “mental health issues” and being “very sick.” “He shot my family, and he’s dead now,” she said.