Heartbreaking Tragedy: Mother and Child Lost in Violent Encounter with Transgender Ex-Partner

Tragedy struck in Rhode Island when a mother of three and her child were killed in a shooting at a high school hockey game, allegedly carried out by her transgender ex-husband.

Rhonda Dorgan, aged 52, lost her life when her former spouse, Robert Dorgan, who also went by Roberta Esposito, opened fire at a hockey game involving their son. The incident occurred at the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, not far from Providence, on Monday afternoon.

Rhonda was fatally shot at the ice rink, and one of her adult children succumbed to injuries later at a hospital nearby, though their identity has not been disclosed. Additionally, two other family members and a friend sustained injuries in the attack, as reported by WPRI.

The shooter, 56-year-old Dorgan, ended the violent spree by taking his own life. His daughter later revealed to WCVB that he struggled with significant mental health issues and was “very sick.”

As of Tuesday morning, the motive behind the shooting remained undetermined. However, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves suggested that the attack was deliberate, likely rooted in a family conflict.

Rhonda served Dorgan with divorce papers in 2020, according to their case file in Providence/Bristol County Family Court.

She initially cited Dorgan’s ‘gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic + personality disorder traits’ as grounds for divorce, according to court filings obtained by WPRI. 

Those reasons were later crossed out and replaced with ‘irreconcilable differences which have caused the immediate breakdown of the marriage.’ Their divorce was finalized in 2021.

Rhonda Dorgan, second-left, was shot dead by her ex-husband Robert Dorgan at their son’s hockey game at the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, a few miles outside Providence, on Monday afternoon. She is pictured with three of her children

Robert Dorgan, 56, whose adult daughter claimed had ‘mental health issues’ and was ‘very sick,’ turned the gun on himself after the shooting rampage

People embrace and walk away as police stand outside the perimeter they created around the Dennis M. Lynch Arena where a gunman opened fire during the senior night hockey match

Dorgan sparred with multiple family members over his gender identity issues, court documents showed.

He told police in early 2020 that he had recently undergone gender reassignment surgery and said his father-in-law wanted him kicked out of their home because of it.

Dorgan claimed to officers with the North Providence Police Department that his father-in-law threatened to ‘have him murdered by an Asian street gang if he did not move out of the residence’, according to the filings. 

Dorgan, who at the time told police he had been living at the home for seven years, also claimed his father-in-law told him: ‘There’s no goddam [sic] way a tranny is going to stay in my house,’ the documents read. 

The father-in-law was charged with intimidation of witnesses and victims of crimes, and obstruction of the judicial system, but prosecutors later dismissed the charges.

Other court records show Dorgan had also accused his mother of assaulting him and acting in a ‘violent, threatening or tumultuous manner’, leading his mother to be charged with simple assault and battery and disorderly conduct.

The case apparently caused further contention between Dorgan and his father-in-law, with Dorgan telling police his father-in-law ‘told me that if I did not drop the assault charges against my mother, that further retaliation could be expected, and that was another reason to have me killed’. 

The case against Dorgan’s mother was also eventually dismissed. 

Rhonda Dorgan, right, with three of her children in August 2024. She served Robert Dorgan (not pictured) with divorce in 2020

Rhonda Dorgan, in 2013, celebrating her 40th birthday with her children. She and her children appeared to be close

It is unclear how close Robert Dorgan was with his children. He shared this photo in July 2023

Just hours after Monday night’s deadly shooting, a woman who claimed to be Dorgan’s daughter claimed he ‘has mental health issues’.  

‘He shot my family, and he’s dead now,’ she told WCVB. 

Dorgan appeared to post ominous warnings in the days before the deadly shooting.

An online profile that appears to belong to the gunman, shared an eerie video of a woman running on a treadmill while loading ammunition magazines into a handgun and aiming. 

In another post on X, a profile for ‘Roberta Dorgano’ threatened to go ‘BERSERK’ while defending transgender Congresswoman Sarah McBride.

‘Keep bashing us,’ they wrote Sunday. ‘But do not wonder why we Go BESERK.’

Dorgan fired shots at Lynch Arena Monday night during the ‘Senior Night’ hockey game being played. His son is understood to have been playing in the match.

The gunman killed his ex-wife and opened fire on his children before turning the gun on himself.

Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said Monday night that Dorgan entered the Dennis M Lynch Arena to watch a high school hockey match. The attacker then opened fire at around 2.30pm

After about a dozen shots were fired, the hockey players were seen racing to the back of the Dennis M Lynch Arena

Rhonda Dorgan, pictured, died at the indoor skating rink. A motive for the shooting remained unclear Tuesday, but police believe it was targeted and stemmed from a family dispute

Footage from the scene appeared to show Dorgan, wearing a white beanie, walking down the stands and opening fire into the crowd.

The sound of gunshots soon led others in the stands to turn their heads and flee the scene as the gunman kept firing. 

Players ducked down on the sidelines after about six shots rang out at the rink. Others on the ice scrambled to reach the sidelines and get to safety after a total of about a dozen shots were fired as spectators could be heard screaming and crying. 

Fortunately, none of the hockey players on the ice were harmed in the shooting. 

A good Samaritan then stepped in and tried to subdue Dorgan, Goncalves said, crediting his actions with preventing any further bloodshed.

Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened and have spoken with scores of witnesses who were there inside the skating rink.

They also were reviewing video taken from the hockey game. 

A father hugs his son outside of the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, R.I., after a shooting at the ice rink on Monday, February 16, 2026

A large yellow school bus was also seen parked outside the arena, along with multiple police officers who roped off the crime scene 

‘What should have been a joyful occasion, with dozens of families, students and supporters gathered to celebrate Senior Night… was instead marked by violence and fear,’ Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien said in a statement Monday night.

‘Our prayers go out to the victims, their families and everyone impacted by this devastating incident.

‘Pawtucket is a strong and resilient community, but tonight we are a city in mourning,’ he continued. ‘We will stand together in support of those affected in the difficult days ahead and we will keep the public updated as confirmed facts become available.’