The family of Roberta Dorgan, who opened fire on her son and ex-wife at a hockey game at a Rhode Island high school, has now released a statement.
Keep reading to know more.
Roberta Dorgan entered the arena and opened fire, which took the life of her 23-year-old son, Aidan. The attack was also fatal to his ex-wife, 52-year-old Rhonda Dorgan. The attack also seriously wounded Rhonda’s parents, Linda Dorgan and Gerald Dorgan. Another person injured in the attack was a friend of the family, Thomas Geruso.
Those injured were rushed to the hospital and remain in critical condition. Roberta Dorgan’s family has now spoken out after the horrific incident.
The attacker’s teenage son, who had been playing in the game at the time, was not hurt, according to authorities.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves identified the assailant as Robert Dorgan, who reportedly also goes by the names of Roberta Dorgan and Roberta Esposito. The assailant also identifies as a woman who underwent gender-affirming surgery in 2020, according to reports.
“We are all deeply and profoundly affected by the recent events that took place at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena. We are reminded that behind every headline is a family experiencing profound pain and loss. We care greatly for all families impacted by this recent tragedy and our thoughts are with them,” the Dorgan family said in a statement that was read by their attorney Joseph Signore.
“While there are many questions being asked, please know we are focused on all of those who have been injured and whose lives have been forever changed,” the statement said.
As Dorgan was shooting, a bystander, Michael Black, came in to intervene and subdued her.
Dorgan fired at her son, Aidan, ex-wife, Rhonda, and also injured three others. Black had been watching the game with his own wife when he heard the terrifying sound of shooting.
“I didn’t even look at my wife. I said, ‘Run, run,’” he told the media later. “I saw the g*n, and I took a step and jumped down, grabbed the g*n, tried to knock the person down — which I was able to do. I was able to get the g*n away.”
Dorgan recalled a ‘scared’ look on Dorgan’s face.
As he struggled with Dorgan, others jumped in and helped subdue the assailant as well. Dorgan was later found lifeless inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket on Monday from what looked like a self-inflicted wound from another weapon.
Investigators later found two weapons from the scenes which included a Glock 10 millimeter and a SIG Sauer P226 pistol.
Police told the media that without the bystanders’ intervention, things could have been worse, and they brought the violence to a swift end.
“I just want to make sure people understand this was one person’s vendetta against their family,” Amanda Wallace-Hubbard, Dorgan’s daughter from a previous relationship, told the media. “We were targeted. This was very specific. It wasn’t random,” they said.
When Dorgan opened fire, people watching the match immediately dove for cover, and the players quickly skated towards the exit. A witness named Michael Steven said he saw parents crying and looking for their children outside the area when people were being taken out on stretchers.
According to documents, Rhonda Dorgan filed for divorce in February 2020. In the petition, she apparently wrote, “gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic + personality disorder traits,” which was then crossed out and replaced with “irreconcilable differences.”
The police said that they had looked at Roberta’s social media presence, and it does not seem that her gender identity was “irrelevant to the investigation at this point.”
Authorities say that a preliminary investigation shows that Dorgan used to attend hockey games for her sons in the past, and this incident happened because of a dispute in the family.
Dorgan worked at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, a shipbuilding facility in Maine that contracts with the US Navy.
Destiny Mackenzie, a colleague of Dorgan, said that she had a bad temper and would at times scream at co-workers.
Sara Graves shared that Dorgan was not “fully accepted by her family.” In 1989, Dorgan was charged with simple assault and battery in Providence, and in 1994 for driving on a suspended license. Both charges were dropped.
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