Rhode Island Hockey Massacre: Third Victim Dies After Family Shooting Spree
Gerald “Gerry” Dorgan has tragically died from injuries sustained in the horrific family shooting at a Rhode Island youth hockey game. The 75-year-old became the third fatality following the February 16 massacre at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket.
Family Tragedy Deepens
Gerry had been in critical condition since his daughter’s transgender ex-husband, Robert Dorgan, opened fire during a high school hockey match. The shooting also claimed the lives of his daughter Rhonda, 52, and grandson Aidan, 23. Authorities confirmed Gerry’s death on Wednesday, sending fresh waves of grief through the community.
Rhonda’s mother Linda Dorgan and family friend Thomas Geruso, an assistant principal at a local high school, remain in serious but stable condition. Pawtucket’s Mayor Donald Grebien expressed heartbreak over the needless loss: “Another person has died because of this senseless shooting.”
Heroic Bystanders Stop Gunman
The shooter, 56-year-old Robert Dorgan, who also went by Roberta Esposito and Roberta Dorgano, targeted family members during the attack. He opened fire while his youngest son’s hockey game was in progress, aiming specifically at relatives.
Brave bystanders sprang into action to stop the gunman. Michael Black, 58, lunged at Dorgan’s handgun, jamming it and getting his hand caught in the chamber. Despite being hoisted into the air, Black and others subdued Dorgan, with one applying a chokehold. The gunman eventually died from a self-inflicted gunshot after pulling a second weapon.
Family Turmoil Behind Shooting
Dorgan’s daughter Amanda Wallace-Hubbard, who witnessed the attack, told the New York Post her father had a long-standing vendetta against the family. She revealed he was estranged from his six children, and denied that gender identity was the cause of the rift.
“Gender identity was not remotely a factor in him being ostracized from the family… it was just a symptom of something much deeper his entire adult life,” Amanda said.
She described her father as a man battling “demons” but refusing the mental health help he desperately needed.
Behind the Divorce and Motive
Robert and Rhonda Dorgan married in 1992, but the marriage ended in a turbulent divorce finalised in 2021. Rhonda initially cited “gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic and personality disorder traits” among divorce reasons – later replaced with “irreconcilable differences.”
The motive remains under investigation. Authorities have confirmed the attack was “targeted,” arising from a family dispute, but have stopped short of linking it solely to gender identity issues.
A close family friend paid tribute to Gerry, calling him “the coolest Dad” and “one tough son of a gun” who was always there for family and friends.
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