The former wife of the transgender father who shot dead relatives at a Rhode Island high school hockey game had ended their marriage years earlier, citing his “narcissistic + personality disorder traits” as the reason for the divorce, court records show. The wife was killed by Robert during the rampage.
Robert Dorgan’s former wife, Rhonda Dorgan, filed for divorce in 2020, pointing to what she described as his unstable behavior and his “gender reassignment surgery,” court filings obtained by WPRI show. She later amended the reason for the divorce, which was finalized in 2021, saying it was due to “irreconcilable differences which have caused the immediate breakdown of the marriage.”
Serious Mental Health Issues
At the time, it was not immediately clear whether that former wife was one of the two people killed when Dorgan opened fire at the Pawtucket ice rink on Monday afternoon, where his son had been playing.
Authorities said the shooter, who also used the name Roberta Esposito, killed one of his sons and the child’s mother. They did not confirm whether the woman was Rhonda Dorgan or another former partner.
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Police have not yet made the victims’ identities public.
Investigators are still trying to determine what led to the attack. However, court records indicate that the 56-year-old father’s transgender identity had been at the center of several contentious family court disputes in the years leading up to the violence.
Dorgan told police in early 2020 that he had recently undergone gender reassignment surgery and said his father-in-law wanted him removed from the home because of it, court records show.
He also told officers with the North Providence Police Department that his father-in-law threatened to have him killed by an Asian street gang if he refused to move out. Goncalves said Dorgan entered the rink to watch a “Senior Night” hockey game in which his daughter was playing before opening fire at around 2:30 p.m.
Chilling footage from the scene appeared to show a man wearing a white beanie walking through the stands before opening fire into the crowd.
As the gunshots rang out, people in the stands quickly realized what was happening, turning in panic and rushing to escape while the shooter continued firing. Livestream footage from the game showed players on the bench ducking for cover after about six shots echoed through the arena.
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Players who were still on the ice also scrambled toward the sidelines, trying to get out of harm’s way. By the time the gunfire stopped — roughly a dozen shots in total — screams and cries from spectators could be heard throughout the rink.
Afterward, a woman told WCVB that the shooter was her father.
“He shot my family, and he’s dead now,” the unidentified woman said, adding that he “has mental health issues.”
Out of Control
A source with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told Fox news that the gunman fatally shot his wife, then opened fire on his children before taking his own life. Court records show that Dorgan claimed his father-in-law made a hostile remark to him, saying, “there’s no goddam [sic] way a tranny is going to stay in my house.”
The father-in-law was later charged with witness intimidation and obstruction of justice, though prosecutors ultimately dropped those charges.
Dorgan had also accused his mother of assault, alleging she behaved in a “violent, threatening or tumultuous manner.” She was charged with simple assault and battery, along with disorderly conduct.
The case against Dorgan’s mother was later dropped as well.
