Third victim of Pawtucket ice rink shooting dies after hospital stay

More than a week after a shooter opened fire on their family at the Dennis M. Lynch arena, their father-in-law, Gerald Dorgan, succumbed to his injuries

Flowers were placed by mourners of the victims who were shot at a high school hockey game in Pawtucket on Monday.
Flowers were placed by mourners of the victims who were shot at a high school hockey game in Pawtucket on Monday, Feb. 16.
Ocean State Media
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Flowers were placed by mourners of the victims who were shot at a high school hockey game in Pawtucket on Monday.
Flowers were placed by mourners of the victims who were shot at a high school hockey game in Pawtucket on Monday, Feb. 16.
Ocean State Media
Third victim of Pawtucket ice rink shooting dies after hospital stay
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Pawtucket police announced that a third person shot by Roberta Dorgan during the murder-suicide they committed at their son’s hockey game has died.

The shooter’s father-in-law, Gerald Dorgan, 75, succumbed to his injuries after more than a week in the hospital.

The shooter opened fire on several members of their family during a high school hockey game on Feb. 16 at the Dennis M. Lynch arena in Pawtucket. Roberta Dorgan’s ex-wife Rhonda and son Aidan were killed and the shooter took their own life as well.

Gerald Dorgan’s wife, Linda Dorgan, and a family friend, Thomas Geruso, were also shot but survived. Another son playing in the hockey game was not injured.

The shooting unfolded in a crowded ice rink filled with high school athletes and their families, sending waves of panic through Rhode Island just a few weeks after a mass shooting at nearby Brown University.

Police soon determined the shooting was a targeted murder-suicide.

The department has identified the shooter as Robert K. Dorgan, though court records and social media posts show the 56-year-old identified as transgender and used the first name Roberta and the last names Dorgano or Esposito.

Pawtucket police continue to investigate the shooter’s motivations and mental health prior to the shooting.

Advocates say the Lynch Arena killings fit a troubling pattern as data show high rates of intimate partner violence statewide
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