A transgender father who fatally shot his ex-wife and son at a high school ice hockey game had a “vendetta” against the family, his daughter has said.
Robert Dorgan, who also went by the name Roberta Esposito, opened fire at the Dennis M Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on Monday. Police said the 56-year-old killed his ex-wife, Rhonda, and his son Aidan. He also injured his parents-in-law and a family friend. Dorgan died with a self-inflicted gunshot wound once a bystander intervened.
Amanda Wallace-Hubbard, Dorgan’s daughter from another relationship, said: “I just want to make sure people understand this was one person’s vendetta against their family.”
Rhonda Dorgan, second from left, and Aidan, second from right
She told the broadcaster WPRI: “We were targeted. This was very specific. It wasn’t random.”
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Wallace-Hubbard was sitting with the family with her two sons when her father began shooting. “I think my biggest concern was for my two small sons, who witnessed what occurred between our family members,” she said.
Referring to the bystander who intervened, Wallace-Hubbard said: “Until that Good Samaritan incapacitated him, I really feared that my sons were next. I can’t thank him enough … I’m certain my sons and I are alive because of him.”
Tina Goncalves, the chief of Pawtucket police, said Dorgan had come to watch hockey games in the past, so there was “nothing unusual” about him showing up. One of Goncalves’s sons was playing in the game.
Robert Dorgan, who also went by Roberta Esposito
Video showed Dorgan did not speak with the family before shots were fired, according to Goncalves. The motive is still under investigation but the authorities have said the attack stemmed from a family dispute.
• Transgender father kills son and ex-wife at school ice hockey game
Court records show that Rhonda filed for divorce from her husband in early 2020, about the time Dorgan underwent gender-reassignment surgery.
Dorgan was carrying two guns, which were bought legally. It was not yet clear if Dorgan had a licence to carry in Rhode Island, Goncalves said.
The three injured victims — Dorgan’s father-in-law Gerald Dorgan, mother-in-law Linda Dorgan and a family friend Thomas Geruso — were in critical condition.
Wallace-Hubbard launched a GoFundMe page for her two surviving half-siblings. The fundraiser has raised nearly $200,000 as of Wednesday morning.