The suspect accused of shooting and killing two people at a Rhode Island ice rink on Monday before killing himself has beenidentified as Robert Dorgan, a 56-year-old transgender who sometimes identified as Roberta Esposito. To be clear, that means the alleged murderer was a man who believed he was a woman.
Police say Dorgan opened fire inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket during a hockey game between Coventry and Blackstone Valley Schools. Authorities have described the incident as a "family dispute."
According to Fox News Digital, the shooter shot and killed his ex-wife, Rhonda, and his son, Aidan. Three others involved in the shooting remain in critical condition, including the Dorgan children’s grandparents, according to the GoFundMe.
Court records obtained by WPRI show Dorgan had been involved in multiple disputes with relatives in recent years, including tensions that escalated after undergoing gender reassignment surgery. In 2020, Dorgan alleged that his father-in-law was trying to remove him from his house as a result of the operation.
The day before the shooting, Dorgan posted a message threatening to go "BERSERK" in a trans-rights rant that was a reaction to conservative actor Kevin Sorbo referring to transgender Democrat Rep. Sarah McBride as "a man."
"Keep bashing us. But do not wonder why we Go BERSERK," Dorgan wrote.
Those details are central to understanding what happened. Yet much of the legacy media has omitted them. Here is how the New York Times covered the story:
The Washington Post offered even less, reporting only that "Three people, including the suspect, were fatally shot during a Rhode Island youth hockey game Monday."
Several updated stories on Tuesday also failed to note that the shooter was transgender, including a news report from The Wall Street Journal:
On its own, a shooter’s gender identity is not always necessary to include. In this case, it appears relevant.
Source: The Latest & Most Breaking News With OutKick
