The bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, this week expressed sorrow over a deadly shooting at a Rhode Island high school hockey game that left two people dead and three others injured, calling the violence “senseless” and “deeply troubling.”
The shooting occurred Feb. 16 at a Pawtucket arena during a boys’ “Senior Night” game, according to The Providence Journal. The game featured co-op teams that included students from Saint Raphael Academy, a Catholic high school in the Diocese of Providence.
In his Feb. 17 statement, Bishop Bruce Lewandowski said the violence was especially painful given the presence of students.
“No one should ever have to experience this kind of violence, especially students,” he wrote. “The senseless shooting at a hockey game in Pawtucket involving high school teams, which included Saint Raphael Academy, is shocking and deeply troubling.”
In a press conference, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said the shooting stemmed from a family dispute and was not a random attack on spectators. She identified the shooter as 56-year-old Robert Dorgan, who "also went by the names Roberta Esposito and Roberta Dorgan.” Further reporting from The Providence Journal reveals Dorgan identified as “transgender.”
PHOTO: Pawtucket ice hockey shooter Robert Dorgan, and went by the female name “Roberta Esposito”. https://t.co/92DzZeFXGo pic.twitter.com/HKXldP5DBX
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 17, 2026
Police said Dorgan entered the arena to watch a family member’s game and opened fire in the stands, killing two family members — his ex-wife and an adult son — and wounding three others. He later died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to The Providence Journal.
No students or players were physically injured, though many witnessed the shooting. The game was being livestreamed at the time, and video showed players scrambling across the ice as spectators sought cover.
Video from Lynch Arena in Pawtucket when the shooting occurred. You cannot see anything - the noise is unmistakeable - but the reaction and chaos that follows the follows tells the story. pic.twitter.com/AYAdA2jEDE
— Eric Rueb (@EricRueb) February 16, 2026
Saint Raphael Academy confirmed its students were safe, and authorities credited a bystander with intervening and helping prevent further casualties.
Bishop Lewandowski said the diocese’s Catholic Schools Office, in partnership with its Office of Compliance and local and state law enforcement, “will review our diocese-wide safety practices and precautions to do our part keeping communities safe from such violence.”
He asked the faithful to pray for those who died at the hockey arena and for “the healing and comfort of those who were injured and traumatized.”
The bishop concluded his statement by asking that “Our Lady of Providence keep us always in her care.”