A “Good Samaritan” ended a deadly shooting at a US ice rink, police have said.
Three people, including the suspect, were killed in the incident at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, near Providence, Rhode Island, at around 2.30pm local time on Monday, where a youth hockey game was due to take place.
The suspect, named by police as Robert Dorgan, shot dead two adults and critically injured three other people before turning the gun on himself, Pawtucket Police chief Tina Goncalves said.
Dorgan’s attack was cut short by an unnamed “Good Samaritan” among the spectators, who intervened and brought the shooting “to a swift end”, Ms Goncalves added, without giving more details.
Players and spectators raced for cover after popping sounds were heard at the venue, according to unverified footage published on social media, which also showed a man throwing himself at Dorgan to stop the shooting.
Ms Goncalves confirmed that several people were inside the arena at the time of the shooting, which was caught on a live stream of the hockey game.
Authorities said they believe the attack stemmed from a “family dispute”, but did not reveal who was targeted or why.
“It appears that this was a targeted event, that it may be a family dispute,” Ms Goncalves said.
Dorgan, who was also known as Roberta Esposito, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Ms Goncalves said.
She said Dorgan was born in 1969, but gave no other details.
One of the shooting victims was found dead inside the arena, while the other died in hospital, where the three others who suffered gunshot injuries remain in critical condition.
Tearful families and high school hockey players still in their kits could be seen hugging outside the arena after the shooting, while police cordoned off the ice rink.
The attack comes almost two months after a gunman killed three people after opening fire at Brown University, in nearby Providence, before turning his weapon on himself.
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“Our state is grieving again,” Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee said in a statement. “As governor, a parent, and a former coach, my heart breaks for the victims, families, students, and everyone impacted by the devastating shooting at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket.”
