The trans suspect accused of shooting and killing two people at a Rhode Island ice rink on Monday had posted on X about going “BERSERK” after an actor insisted that Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., is a man.
McBride identifies as a transgender woman.
Robert Dorgan, 56, appeared to become agitated after actor Kevin Sorbo wrote on X that “Tim McBride is a man. Community note this if I’m wrong,” alongside a photo of the Delaware Democrat.
In response, Dorgan — whose profile listed the name Roberta Dorgano — wrote: “Keep bashing us. But do not wonder why we Go BERSERK.”
In another post, Dorgan responded to Infowars host Alex Jones, who had written “So creepy” in response to Sorbo’s post.
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“stfu (shut the f— up) Alex dont be so butt hurt over somebody different. then wonder why trans ppl go fkn BERSERK,” Dorgan wrote.
The posts came one day before Dorgan is accused of opening fire inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket during a hockey game between Coventry and Blackstone Valley Schools in what police described as a “family dispute,” Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said.
“It appears that this was a targeted event, that it may be a family dispute,” Goncalves said.
A family contact told Fox News that the gunman shot and killed his ex-wife Rhonda and his son Aidan. Dorgan’s former in-laws who were at the game are both are in critical condition and “fighting for their lives,” the family contact added.
Aidan’s two siblings, his brother who is a high school hockey player and his sister who is studying to be a nurse, are left behind without either parent, the contact said.
The family contact said Dorgan came to hockey games in the past dressed in woman’s clothing, such as tight denim shorts and tight tops.
This week marked six years since the Dorgans’ divorce, according to the contact.
Video from inside the arena shows players diving and fans fleeing their seats as shots rang out during the high school game. At least a dozen shots can be heard in the footage, along with people screaming as they scramble for cover.
Authorities said two people were killed and three others were critically injured. Dorgan died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
A source with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives told Fox News the gunman killed his wife and shot three of his children before turning the gun on himself in what the source described as a domestic violence incident.
Police have not publicly identified a motive.
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McBride responded to the shooting in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“This is a horrific and evil crime and I hope the murderer rots in hell,” McBride said. “My prayers are with the victims and their loved ones mourning right now.”
Investigators are continuing to review surveillance footage and witness accounts as they piece together a timeline of the shooting.
It comes as court records show Dorgan had a documented history of conflict with relatives in recent years, including disputes tied to his gender transition, WPRI reported.
In 2020, Dorgan reported to North Providence police that he had undergone gender-reassignment surgery and said his father-in-law wanted him out of the family home because of it.
According to court documents cited by WPRI, Dorgan alleged his father-in-law used a derogatory term for transgender individuals and threatened retaliation if he did not move out. The father-in-law was charged at the time, though prosecutors later dismissed the case.
Court filings also show Dorgan’s then-wife initially cited “gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic + personality disorder traits” in divorce paperwork before the grounds were amended to “irreconcilable differences.”
The divorce was finalized in 2021. Divorce records list Dorgan as living in Jacksonville, Florida, at the time and working as a truck driver.
Also in 2020, Dorgan accused his mother of assaulting him and acting in a “violent, threatening or tumultuous manner,” according to police records cited by WPRI. His mother was charged with simple assault and battery and disorderly conduct, though the case was later dismissed, court records show.
The dispute was also referenced in Dorgan’s conflict with his father-in-law. According to court documents, Dorgan told 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.”
Fox News’ Louis Casiano, Alexis McAdams and Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
