As new details continue to emerge about a shooting at a Rhode Island high school hockey tournament, social media posts have claimed that the suspect, Robert Dorgan, was a huge Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene supporter. Police identified the shooter as Dorgan, who also went by the name Roberta Esposito, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said at a 9:30 pm press conference, according to The Providence Journal.
An X post claimed that Dorgan was a “HUGE Thomas Massie & MTG supporter”. A screenshot attached to the post shows that an X user named Roberta Dorgano, which X users are claiming is Dorgan’s profile, commented three heart emojis in response to Massie’s post, which read, “I love mine, I have two you sent us. Rhonda loved it too.”
Massie's February 15, 2026, X comment was about a cup with “Sassy with Massie” written on it, which was gifted to him by someone. He was referencing his late wife Rhonda Massie, who died in 2024.
Read More | Did Pawtucket shooter have mental health issues? Gunman's daughter speaks out, claims dad was ‘very sick’
The post included another screenshot showing that Roberta Dorgano had re-posted an announcement by Massie, where the politician wrote that he is “excited to invite you to our Campaign Headquarters Launch Party” at “7998 Dixie Hwy in Florence, KY.”
{{/usCountry}}The post included another screenshot showing that Roberta Dorgano had re-posted an announcement by Massie, where the politician wrote that he is “excited to invite you to our Campaign Headquarters Launch Party” at “7998 Dixie Hwy in Florence, KY.”
{{/usCountry}}The X account believed to be Dorgan's re-posted other posts by Massie too.
One screenshot shows that Dorgan had re-posted Marjorie Taylor Greene’s X post about Pam Bondi sending a letter to Congress naming several people in the Epstein files.
HT.com has not independently verified if X user Roberta Dorgano is actually Dorgan, or if Dorgan really is a Massie or Greene supporter.
What we know about the shooting so far
The incident took place at the Dennis M Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, a few miles outside Providence, during a youth ice hockey game. While Goncalves did not reveal how exactly the shooter was related to the victims, local reports claimed the gunman was a father who shot his wife and three kids.
Read More | Robert Dorgan's photos surface amid reports Pawtucket shooter was dressed in ‘women’s clothing’
Goncalves added that police were not involved in the suspect’s death.
"It appears from a self-inflicted gun wound, but we are going to investigate that fully," Goncalves said. "The police were not involved in that."
The gunman was found dead inside the Lynch Arena, alongside another victim. Another person died at the hospital, and three others are in critical condition, police said, according to the New York Post.