Rhode Island shooting ended ‘quickly’ by ‘good Samaritan’: police – National
A shooter opened fire at a youth hockey game in Rhode Island, killing two people and injuring three, in an incident that was interrupted when a spectator stepped in to help stop the tragedy, authorities said.
Investigators have spoken to nearly 100 witnesses since Monday evening as they try to piece together what happened earlier that afternoon at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, a few miles outside of Providence.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said Monday the shooter died of a suspected self-inflicted wound, though authorities are still investigating.
Goncalves praised an unnamed “good Samaritan” who intervened, “immediately ending the attack.” He did not provide details.
It is not clear what prompted the shooting, who was targeted or why.
The game was streamed live by LiveBarn, a streaming platform for youth sports events, whose videos were shared on social media showing the players on the ice as loud noises could be heard. Chaos quickly ensues as players on the benches dive for cover, those on the ice slide toward the exits and fans flee their seats.
LiveBarn’s social media account has been issuing warnings to those sharing the video that they do not have permission to do so. An email to LiveBarn seeking comment was sent Tuesday.
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“It looks like this was intentional, possibly a family dispute,” Goncalves said. Authorities said both people who died were adults but have not identified the victims.
Goncalves identified the shooter as Robert Dorgan, who also went by the name Roberta Esposito, born in 1969.
Dorgan was an active employee at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, a shipyard in Bath, Maine, that has a contract with the US Navy, David Hench, a spokesman for the shipyard, said Tuesday. Hench did not immediately respond to questions about Dorgan’s job title or how long Dorgan worked at the shipyard.
Monday’s incident occurred two months after Rhode Island was rocked by a shooting at Brown University that left two students dead and nine others injured, as well as a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor. Authorities later found Claudio Neves Valente, 48, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a warehouse in New Hampshire.
“Our state is grieving again,” Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee said in a statement. “As a governor, parent, and former coach, my heart goes out to the victims, families, students, and everyone affected by the shooting at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket.”
Associated Press writer Patrick Whittle contributed to this report from Portland, Maine.
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