Three people were killed and three others critically injured on Monday after a shooter opened fire at a high school hockey game at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, according to authorities.
Police later identified the suspected shooter as 56-year-old Roberta Esposito of North Providence, a trans woman who police said was born Robert Dorgan. Officials said the shooter was found dead from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Initial reports indicated the shooter was a father involved in what authorities described as a possible family dispute. The two other victims are reportedly the shooter’s family members. Three surviving victims remain in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital.
Police Chief Tina Goncalves said the suspect entered the arena to watch a family member play before opening fire. A bystander intervened as shots rang out, helping bring the incident to a rapid end. Video footage captured the shooter walking up to the victims before pulling the trigger and a bystander is seen taking down the suspect moments later:
Esposito’s Social Media Posts
After Roberta Esposito was identified as the suspect, internet users were quick to locate his social media profiles, sharing images of what appeared to be a warning he posted on X a day before the tragedy.
In reply to a post shared by an X user, seemingly mocking Tim McBride – the first openly transgender person elected to the United States Congress – an account linked to Esposito replied, “Keep bashing us. But do not wonder why we go BERSERK.”
Esposito appeared to be referring to the transgender community. In some of his past social media posts, dated between 2017 and 2025, Esposito expressed pro-Trump sentiments.
In a 2017 post, the account wrote: “this country needs more people with balls to tell it like it is thats why Trump got elected.” A 2025 post stated: “Thats Ok Trump will have his own Rushmore. I call it Trump more.”
Esposito’s Disputes with Family Members
In early 2020, Dorgan went to the North Providence Police Department and reported he had recently undergone gender-reassignment surgery. According to court documents, he said his father-in-law wanted him out of their North Providence home because of it and allegedly threatened to “have him murdered by an Asian street gang if he did not move out of the residence.”
Dorgan told police he had lived at the home for seven years and alleged that his father-in-law used a derogatory term for transgender individuals, saying no such person was “going to stay in my house.” The father-in-law was charged with intimidation of witnesses and victims of crimes and obstruction of the judicial system, though prosecutors later dismissed the charges.
X
Around the same time, Dorgan’s then-wife, Rhonda Dorgan, filed for divorce. Under grounds for divorce, she initially cited “gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic + personality disorder traits,” before crossing that out and replacing it with “irreconcilable differences which have caused the immediate breakdown of the marriage.” The divorce was finalized in June 2021. Court paperwork listed Dorgan as living in Jacksonville, Florida, and working as a truck driver at the time.
Also in 2020, Dorgan accused his mother of assaulting him and acting in a “violent, threatening or tumultuous manner,” according to police records. She was charged with simple assault and battery and disorderly conduct, but that case was also dismissed. Dorgan told police his father-in-law warned him that if he did not drop the assault charges against his mother, “further retaliation could be expected.”
