The transgender gunman who killed his ex-wife and son at a high school hockey match apparently had a Nazi-inspired tattoo on his arm.
Robert Dorgan, 56, who also went by the name ‘Roberta Esposito,’ was seen showing off a large SS symbol on his bicep in a photo posted to his social media pages, where he would often voice his support for ‘white power.’
The symbol was frequently used in Nazi Germany propaganda and signage.
In the center of Dorgan’s tattoo was a white skull and crossbones with glowing red eyes, known as Totenkopf or the ‘death’s head’ skull, which was used as a symbol of a branch of the SS ‘whose purpose was to guard the concentration camps,’ according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The symbol is now often used by neo-Nazis and other white supremacists ‘because of its importance to the SS.’
Dorgan also had a history of spreading antisemitic and racist rhetoric on social media, even posting an anti-Asian slur as he replied to a video praising Adolf Hitler just one day before he opened fire at the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
That same day, Dorgan also threatened to go ‘BESERK.’
His son, Aidan Dorgan, 23, was killed alongside his mother Rhonda, 52, and three other family members were left critically injured in the rampage on Monday, which came to an end when the gunman took his own life.
The tragedy occurred just feet from where Rhonda’s youngest son Colin Dorgan, 17, was competing on the ice.
Robert Dorgan, 56, who also went by the name ‘Roberta Esposito,’ had a Nazi-inspired tattoo on his right arm
Dorgan opened fire at the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island on Monday, killing his son, Aidan, 23 (left) and ex-wife, Rhonda, 52
Colin, captain of the Blackstone Valley Schools’ hockey team, could be seen skating backwards as shots rang out in the rink.
The standout defenseman, wearing his No. 17 jersey, abruptly turned his head towards the source of the gunfire before rushing off the ice.
Just a few hours later, a woman claiming to be Dorgan’s daughter claimed he ‘has mental health issues.’
‘He shot my family, and he’s dead now,’ she told WCVB.
‘If you have a loved one who you think is sick, trust your gut,’ the woman, whose identity could not be confirmed by the Daily Mail, added.
A motive for the shooting remains unclear, but Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said she believes it was targeted and stemmed from a family dispute.
Rhonda served Dorgan with divorce papers in 2020, according to their case file in Providence/Bristol County Family Court.
She initially cited Dorgan’s ‘gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic and personality disorder traits’ as grounds for divorce, according to court filings obtained by WPRI.
Those reasons were later crossed out and replaced with ‘irreconcilable differences which have caused the immediate breakdown of the marriage’. Their divorce was finalized in 2021.
The tragedy occurred just feet from where Rhonda’s youngest son Colin Dorgan, 17, (pictured) was competing on the ice
Shortly after the horror shooting, the daughter of the transgender shooter broke down in tears as she left a police station, telling reporters he was ‘very sick’
Dorgan also sparred with multiple family members over his gender identity issues, court documents showed.
He told police in early 2020 that he had recently undergone gender reassignment surgery and said his father-in-law wanted him kicked out of their home because of it.
Dorgan claimed to officers with the North Providence Police Department that his father-in-law threatened to ‘have him murdered by an Asian street gang if he did not move out of the residence’, according to the filings.
Dorgan, who at the time told police he had been living at the home for seven years, also claimed his father-in-law told him: ‘There’s no goddam [sic] way a tranny is going to stay in my house,’ the documents read.
The father-in-law was charged with intimidation of witnesses and victims of crimes and obstruction of the judicial system, but prosecutors later dismissed the charges.
Other court records show Dorgan had also accused his mother of assaulting him and acting in a ‘violent, threatening or tumultuous manner’, leading his mother to be charged with simple assault and battery and disorderly conduct.
The case apparently caused further contention between Dorgan and his father-in-law, with Dorgan telling police his father-in-law, ‘told me that if I did not drop the assault charges against my mother, that further retaliation could be expected, and that was another reason to have me killed’.
The case against Dorgan’s mother was also eventually dismissed.
Dorgan’s gender identity had been a source of contention in the family, court documents show
It is unclear how close Dorgan was with his children. He posted this photo of himself with Aidan and Colin in July 2023
It now remains unclear how close Dorgan was with his children, but footage from inside the ice rink showed him walking slowly through the stands before firing a barrage of around a dozen shots.
He could be seen raising an arm and firing several times into one victim’s back, before he was grabbed from behind by a brave witness who tried to detain him as others fled the melee.
Other footage showed how the high school hockey players scrambled to flee from the rink, while those on the sidelines ducked down and sprinted for safety.
Some others on the bench also leapt over the side of the rink and raced to the locker rooms, as spectators were heard crying and screaming in the distance.
‘I was on the ice and I thought it was balloons at first – it was like “bop, bop,” and I thought it was balloons, but this kept going – and it was actually gunshots,’ hockey player Olin Lawrence recounted.
‘And after the gunshots, me and my teammates ran right to the locker room and we just bunkered up and we pressed against the door and we tried to stay safe down there.
‘But it was very scary, we were very nervous.’
The ‘Senior Night’ hockey game was between a co-op team made up of Coventry and Johnston kids, playing against another co-op team from St. Raphael, PCD, North Providence, and North Smithfield schools.
The tournament started at 2pm and shots were fired just about half an hour later.
Video shared online showed hockey players racing across the ice to flee the gunshots
One hockey player described how he and his teammates barricaded themselves in the locker room following the shooting
Aidan’s grandparents were among those injured in the attack. They are currently in critical condition, fighting for their lives, a GoFundMe page established by Rhonda’s stepdaughter Amanda Wallace-Hubbard revealed.
An online fundraiser has now been set up to support Dorgan’s remaining children Ava and Colin, with basic living expenses as they continue their education.
It details how Aidan’s grandparents were among those injured in the attack on Monday, and are now fighting for their lives in the hospital, as Ava and Colin ‘are now facing the future without their parents and older brother.
‘The weight of this loss is something no one should ever have to bear, especially at such young ages,’ Dorgan’s daughter from another relationship, Amanda Wallace-Hubbard, wrote.
‘Despite the pain, Ava and Colin are determined to continue their education and build a life that honors the memory of our loved ones.’
As of Tuesday evening, the crowd funder had already raised over $131,600 for the surviving siblings.