A beloved mother's life was tragically cut short in a horrifying act of violence that unfolded at a youth hockey game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Rhonda L. Dorgan, a 52-year-old woman, was fatally shot on February 16, 2026, at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena. She was there to support her son during his senior night game, a place meant for celebration that became a scene of immense sorrow. Remembered as a devoted parent with a "luminous spirit," her sudden death has left a deep void in the community.
Friends and family described her as a wonderful person whose life revolved around her children, often taking on long hours as a state employee in health care to provide for them while juggling their many activities.
The devastating event was carried out by her 56-year-old ex-husband, Robert Dorgan, who also went by the names Roberta Dorgano and Roberta Esposito. The couple had a history of domestic disputes, and their divorce was finalized in 2021. On that tragic day, Robert Dorgan attended the hockey game and, without any apparent immediate confrontation, opened fire on his family. In the attack, Rhonda Dorgan was killed, as was her 23-year-old son, Aidan R. Dorgan. Rhonda’s parents, Gerald and Linda Dorgan, and a family friend were also shot and critically injured.
In the moments after the shooting began, several courageous bystanders intervened in an attempt to subdue the shooter. As they wrestled with him, Robert Dorgan turned a second gun on himself, dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. Consequently, there were no arrests made in connection with the deaths of Rhonda and Aidan Dorgan. The Pawtucket police later described the shooting as a "targeted event" stemming from a family dispute and an act of domestic violence. The investigation that followed included the recovery of several firearms from the scene and from a storage unit in Maine belonging to Robert Dorgan. The community was left to mourn the profound loss of a dedicated mother and her son, their lives taken in a senseless act that turned a place of community gathering into a site of tragedy.
