Two people were killed and three others wounded in a shooting Monday afternoon at a hockey arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, officials said.
The three injured victims remain hospitalized in critical condition.
One victim died at the arena, and the other later at a hospital. Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said both of the victims who were killed appeared to be adults. Their identities have not been released.
Goncalves said the shooter appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
At a Monday night press conference, Goncalves identified the suspect as Robert Dorgan, who also went by Roberta Esposito. They were in their late 50s.
“It appears that a lone individual, the suspect, entered the arena to watch the hockey game of a family member, and unfortunately, during that time, a shooting occurred,” Goncalves said.
Investigators said the shooting happened around 2:30 p.m. at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena.
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A high school hockey game was scheduled at the arena for 2 p.m., WCVB reported.
Dozens of hockey players and their families were in the arena at the time of the shooting, celebrating senior day.
Police said the victims targeted were family members of the suspect and a family friend. Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a family dispute.
>> Raw video: See the press conference held Monday night with words from the police chief and mayor:
When the shooting began, Goncalves said a Good Samaritan intervened, helping bring the situation to a “swift end.”
Players and families described panic inside the arena.
“After the gunshots, me and my teammates ran right to the locker room, and we just bunkered up, and we pressed against the door and tried to stay safe down in there,” said one hockey player.
“It just happened so fast, you don’t even know,” said one parent. “You just see everybody else on the ground and you kind of get on the ground, and then the first thing I thought was, ‘Where’s my kid?'”
Dozens of police officers and other law enforcement arrived within about 90 seconds, authorities said. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded.
The Coventry School District in Rhode Island released a statement confirming that the members of its boys’ hockey team were present at the arena.
“All students from the Coventry Boys Hockey team who were present at an incident at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket have been accounted for and are safe,” schools superintendent Don Cowart said. “A Coventry police officer is on scene with the students, and school staff remain with the team as reunification is coordinated.”
A woman leaving the Pawtucket Police Department told reporters the suspect was her father.
“He shot my family, and he’s dead now,” she said. “He has mental health issues.”
Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien and Goncalves said investigators are reviewing multiple videos and have interviewed more than 100 witnesses, many of them parents and players inside the arena at the time.
The shooting comes just two months after the mass shooting on the Brown University campus in Providence.
“We are actively monitoring the shooting at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket. I just spoke with Mayor Grebien, as well as (RI State Police), who are working with local law enforcement. I am praying for Pawtucket and everyone involved,” Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement posted on social media.
The FBI’s Boston office released a statement about the shooting response.
“FBI Boston is aware of the shooting at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, RI, today and has responded to the scene. We stand ready to assist our partners at the Pawtucket Police Department and (RI State Police with any and all resources they need. At this time, there is no imminent threat to public safety and there has been no request for FBI assistance. However, the public should continue to avoid the area. Our prayers are with everyone impacted by this incident,” the post said.
The shooting remains under investigation. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact police.