Evening Brief: Murder in Rhode Island, Pentagon Weighs Options for Iran, US Moving Missiles to the Philippines

Gunfire at the Rink: Rhode Island Hockey Game Turns Deadly

A weekday youth hockey game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, ended in gunfire Monday afternoon, leaving two people dead, several wounded, and a shaken community trying to understand how such violence walked through the doors of a neighborhood rink.

Police say the shooting unfolded Feb. 16 inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena during a high school game. By the time it ended, two victims were dead, and three others were hospitalized with serious injuries. The gunman also died at the scene from what authorities describe as a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Investigators have identified the suspect as Robert K. Dorgan (AKA Roberta Esposito), a Bath Iron Works employee from Maine. Early findings indicate the attack was targeted and rooted in a family dispute. Several victims were connected to the shooter, including family members. The dead were identified as Dorgan’s son and ex-wife. Officials say there is no indication of an ongoing public threat.

Witness accounts describe a sudden burst of gunfire echoing across the ice as players, parents, and spectators scrambled for exits or barricaded themselves in locker rooms. A livestream of the game briefly captured the chaos before being taken down. Nearly 100 witnesses have already been interviewed as authorities piece together the timeline.

Police credit a civilian bystander with helping stop the attack quickly. That intervention, according to investigators, likely prevented additional casualties. It is a reminder that in close-quarters violence, seconds matter, and individual action can change outcomes.

The shooter’s employment at Bath Iron Works, a major Navy shipbuilder tied to U.S. defense programs, has drawn attention but does not appear connected to motive. Still, it underscores a hard truth familiar to anyone who has served or worked around the defense world. The line between professional life and personal collapse can be thin, and when it breaks, it breaks fast.

For Rhode Island, a small state where high school sports still anchor community life, the shock is deep. Local officials have suspended games and activated counseling services for students and families. The arena itself remains closed as investigators continue their work.

There is no broader geopolitical angle here, no strategic chessboard to analyze. Just a targeted act of violence that unfolded in a place where parents expected a routine afternoon, and teenagers expected to play hockey.

Madness can rear its ugly head anywhere.

Iran on the Clock: Pentagon Builds Options as Washington Tests Diplomacy

The Pentagon is doing what it always does when tensions rise with Tehran: building military options while the White House tests whether diplomacy still has room to work.

Start with what has already happened. In June 2025, U.S. forces struck key Iranian nuclear facilities in an operation later identified as Operation Midnight Hammer, using long-range bombers and cruise missiles in coordination with Israeli strikes. Iran responded days later by firing missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, a major U.S. installation. U.S. officials said there were no American casualties, and President Donald Trump described the response as limited while urging both sides to avoid escalation.