Pawtucket Ice Rink Shooter's Gender Identity Fueled Family Conflict: Reports

PAWTUCKET, RI —The shooter who killed two relatives and himself at a Pawtucket skating rink had a history of family strife, with conflict over his gender identity fueling some of the tumult, according to reports.

The mass shooting during a high school hockey game at Dennis M. Lynch Hockey Arena was "targeted," officials said.

"The person identified by police as the mass shooter in Pawtucket is Robert Dorgan, age 56," GoLocalProv reported, adding, "Dorgan was married to Rhonda Dorgan; one of their children was playing in the hockey game at the arena and it was senior night."

"At a late-night (Monday) news conference, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said Dorgan also went by the name 'Roberta,' and court documents show his gender identity played a role in multiple family disputes over recent years," per WPRI.

Related: 3 Dead, 3 Wounded In Mass Shooting at Pawtucket Ice Rink

Goncalves failed to respond to messages Tuesday requesting information on the shooting.

In 2020 Dorgan filed a report with the North Providence Police Report that said he undergone gender-reassignment surgery and that his father-in-law used a derogatory term for transgender individuals and threatened retaliation if he did not move out, according to Fox News.

"Court filings also show Dorgan’s then-wife initially cited 'gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic + personality disorder traits' in divorce paperwork before the grounds were amended to 'irreconcilable differences'" the Fox News story said. "The divorce was finalized in 2021. Divorce records list Dorgan as living in Jacksonville, Florida, at the time and working as a truck driver."

Dorgan "killed his own son and the boy's mother," WCVB reported.

Related: More Details Released On Victims Of Shooting At H.S. Hockey Game In Pawtucket

A good Samaritan attempted to subdue Dorgan, according to the New York Post.

"Witnesses said the man — the father of another hockey player — managed to disarm Dorgan, but he had a backup firearm," per the Post.