An attack that took place during a student hockey game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in the United States, left two people dead and three injured after an armed 56-year-old man, a transsexual who identified as a "woman", opened fire from the stands of the Dennis M. Lynch Arena before taking his own life.
The killer, identified by the police as Robert Dorgan, used the name "Roberta Esposito". Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves publicly confirmed the suspect's identity during a press conference held Monday night. "We have identified the suspect by his birth name. His birth name was Robert Dorgan", Goncalves said, and added: "We also know that he is called Roberta and uses the last name Esposito".
According to the available information, the striker was initially seated in the back of the stands on the home team's side while the game was taking place. He later moved toward the front area and opened fire on a group made up of four members of one family and a close friend.
El transexual que disparó.
As a consequence of the attack, a woman, the mother of one of the student team players, died at the scene. Her son, who was also hit by the gunfire, died later at the hospital. In addition, three other people were seriously injured and have remained in critical condition since Monday night. The transsexual died at the scene after shooting himself, according to the authorities' official report.
Amid the shock, a woman who was seen leaving the Pawtucket police station stated that the person responsible for the shooting was her own father and described him as someone with serious mental health issues. According to her testimony, the striker "has mental health issues" and was "very sick". She also said in pain: "He shot my family and now he is dead".
El lugar del ataque.
The striker's history also includes records related to his mental issues regarding his sexuality. At the beginning of 2020, Dorgan had informed the North Providence Police Department that he had undergone gender reassignment surgery.
The shooting in Rhode Island comes in a context of other recent episodes of violence carried out by transsexual people. The previous week, a transgender teenager killed his mother and his brother at home before heading to a high school in British Columbia, Canada, where he killed five students and a teacher in a mass attack.
