Law enforcement officials announced Wednesday that they have recovered guns from a storage unit in Maine belonging to the shooter who opened fire at a Pawtucket hockey rink, killing his ex-wife and son.
Police seized a sawed-off shotgun, an AR-15 style rifle, a handgun frame, various ammunition, firearm accessories, and mail addressed to the suspect from a storage unit belonging to Robert Dorgan in Brunswick, Maine.
Authorities also seized an electronic device, various ammunition, firearm accessories, and personal identification documents from his apartment in Bath, Maine.
Pawtucket police say they found a white van with a Maine license plate registered to Robert after the shooting at Dennis M. Lynch Arena on Monday. Police say they found multiple items that led them to Dorgan’s home and storage unit in Maine.
Rhonda Dorgan and her son, Aidan Dorgan, were shot and killed during their son and brother’s Senior Night Game when Robert opened fire.
Linda and Gerald Dorgan, Rhonda’s parents and Aidan’s grandparents, were also shot and remain in the hospital in critical condition.
A family friend was also shot and injured and is still receiving care in the hospital.
As of Wednesday night, all three victims in the hospital are still in critical condition, Pawtucket police say.
Immediately after the shooting, three individuals, Michael Black, Robert Rattenni, and Ryan Cordeiro, attempted to subdue Robert. However, Robert turned a second gun on himself and died from a self‑inflicted wound.
“The Pawtucket Police Department would also like to acknowledge the courageous citizens who intervened during the attack. Their actions undoubtedly prevented further injury and increased the chances of survival for the injured. They exemplified model citizen behavior and true bravery in the face of danger,” Pawtucket police said in a statement.
Officials revealed Wednesday that Dorgan were a Glock 29 (10MM), and a Sig Sauer P226 (.357).
The Glock was purchased by Dorgan on September 19, 2021, in Jacksonville, Florida. The Sig Sauer P226 (.357) was purchased by Dorgan on July 13, 2019, in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
While a Florida firearms carry permit was found on Robert Dorgan’s body, Pawtucket police say they are not aware of any Rhode Island concealed carry permit.
Court documents obtained by Boston 25 News on Tuesday revealed that Robert Dorgan, who also went by Roberta Esposito and Roberta Dorgan, had a long history of family disputes due to his gender identity, court documents show.
The documents show that in 2020 Robert Dorgan went to the North Providence Police and alleged that his father-in-law, Gerald, came into his home and threatened “to have an Asian street gang murder him” after he had recently undergone gender reassignment surgery.
Dorgan had pending assault charges against his mother at the time, Joann, whom he was accusing of assaulting him in a “violent, threatening, or tumultuous manner.”
Dorgan also accused his father-in-law of stating that he was going to retaliate if he didn’t have the assault charges against his mother dropped. His father-in-law was charged with intimidation of a witness and obstruction of the judicial system.
Around the same time, Dorgan’s ex-wife, Rhonda, filed for divorce in early February, citing the grounds was due to “gender reassignment surgery and narcissistic and personality disorder traits.”
Dorgan’s ex-wife crossed out the grounds for the divorce, later writing in “irreconcilable differences which have caused the irremediable breakdown of the marriage.”
“The Pawtucket Police Department will continue to work diligently with our state and federal law enforcement partners as this investigation progresses. Detectives are actively analyzing the evidence recovered and are pursuing all investigative leads to try to obtain a full accounting of the events leading up to this tragedy,” police said in a statement Wednesday.
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