The daughter of a shooter who killed their ex-wife and son during a high school hockey game has spoken out about the 'targeted' and 'very specific' attack on their family.
On Monday (16 February), it was reported that a shooting had taken place at an ice hockey game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, killing two people.
It was later confirmed that the shooter was Robert Dorgan, a transgender father who used the alias Roberta Esposito. Dorgan turned the gun on themselves after killing his ex-wife Rhonda Dorgan, 52, and son Aidan Dorgan, 23.
The shooting took place during a match at Dennis M. Lynch Arena, where the former couple's son, Colin Dorgan, was playing.
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Rhonda's parents, Linda and Gerald Dorgan, and family friend Thomas Geruso were injured in the attack, with WPRI confirming the trio remained in hospital in a critical condition.
Dorgan's daughter, Amanda Wallace-Hubbard, has since spoken out about the horrific killings, telling the outlet that her father's attack was a 'targeted' attack against their family.
"I just want to make sure people understand this was one person’s vendetta against their family," the 36-year-old explained. "We were targeted. This was very specific. It wasn’t random."
Amanda, who is Dorgan's daughter from a previous relationship, revealed that she'd been present at the game alongside her two young sons when the shooting occurred.
She went on to praise the hero bystander who intervened and tackled her father in the stands, adding that she had feared her own children would be targeted by Dorgan.
"I think my biggest concern was for my two small sons, who witnessed what occurred between our family members," Amanda recalled. The man has since been named as Michael Black, who also spoke to local media about his decision to intervene.
"Until that good Samaritan incapacitated him, I really feared that my sons were next."
"I can’t thank him enough,” she added. "I’m certain my sons and I are alive because of him."
In another interview with The New York Post, Amanda addressed her father's trans identity, saying that his transition had nothing to do with the rift that had occurred in the family.
"Gender identity was not remotely a factor in him being ostracized from the family, at least on the part of myself or my siblings," she explained.
"He struggled with some demons his entire life.
"My siblings and I have all gone through ups and downs about how we handle his level of involvement in our lives, because for all his flaws, he had a few redeeming qualities."
Her comments follow worrying social media posts of Dorgan's, which emerged in the hours after the shooting, which included racist, anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi views.
Brenna Cooper