The transgender Rhode Island maniac, who carried out the deadly shooting at a high school hockey game, killing his ex-wife and one of their sons, had disturbing neo-Nazi tattoos inked on his bicep.
Photos reveal that Robert Dorgan, 56 — who also used the name Roberta Esposito — had a large SS emblem tattooed on his right arm, a reference to the Schutzstaffel, the notorious paramilitary group tied to Nazi Germany. The symbol was widely used throughout the Third Reich, appearing in Nazi propaganda and official displays. At the center of Dorgan's arm tattoo — made up of bright red, rune-like lettering — is a white skull and crossbones with eerie, glowing red eyes.
Nazi Tattoo Says It All
The typical white skull and crossbones with eerie, glowing red eyes symbol is known as the Totenkopf, or "death's head" skull. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the death's head symbol was used in Nazi Germany by a branch of the SS "whose purpose was to guard the concentration camps."
The group notes that the image is now widely adopted by neo-Nazis and other white supremacists "because of its importance to the SS."
Dorgan had a track record of posting antisemitic and racist remarks online.
Just a day before the deadly attack at the hockey rink, he replied to a video praising Adolf Hitler with an anti-Asian slur, writing, "Really nice but a c—k made that song." In other responses, he repeatedly invoked phrases like "white power" and "white pride world wide."
He also reshared videos showing people performing the Nazi "Sieg Heil" salute. This came as it was revealed that his former wife ended their marriage years earlier, citing his "narcissistic + personality disorder traits" as the reason for the divorce, court records show.
Dorgan's former wife, Rhonda Dorgan, filed for divorce in 2020, pointing to what she described as his unstable behavior and his "gender reassignment surgery," court filings obtained by WPRI show.
She later amended the reason for the divorce, which was finalized in 2021, saying it was due to "irreconcilable differences which have caused the immediate breakdown of the marriage."
Broken Family
Investigators are still trying to determine what led to the attack. However, court records indicate that the 56-year-old father's transgender identity had been at the center of several contentious family court disputes in the years leading up to the violence.
Dorgan told police in early 2020 that he had recently undergone gender reassignment surgery and said his father-in-law wanted him removed from the home because of it, court records show.
He also told officers with the North Providence Police Department that his father-in-law threatened to have him killed by an Asian street gang if he refused to move out. Goncalves said Dorgan entered the rink to watch a "Senior Night" hockey game in which his daughter was playing before opening fire at around 2:30 p.m.
Chilling footage from the scene appeared to show a man wearing a white beanie walking through the stands before opening fire into the crowd.
As the gunshots rang out, people in the stands quickly realized what was happening, turning in panic and rushing to escape while the shooter continued firing. Livestream footage from the game showed players on the bench ducking for cover after about six shots echoed through the arena.
Players who were still on the ice also scrambled toward the sidelines, trying to get out of harm's way. By the time the gunfire stopped — roughly a dozen shots in total — screams and cries from spectators could be heard throughout the rink.
Afterward, a woman told WCVB that the shooter was her father.
"He shot my family, and he's dead now," the unidentified woman said, adding that he "has mental health issues."
Court records show that Dorgan claimed his father-in-law made a hostile remark to him, saying, "there's no goddam [sic] way a tranny is going to stay in my house."
The father-in-law was later charged with witness intimidation and obstruction of justice, though prosecutors ultimately dropped those charges.
Dorgan had also accused his mother of assault, alleging she behaved in a "violent, threatening or tumultuous manner." She was charged with simple assault and battery, along with disorderly conduct.
The case against Dorgan's mother was later dropped as well.
