Three individuals, including the alleged perpetrator, lost their lives in a shooting incident at a youth hockey game in Rhode Island, as confirmed by authorities on Monday. Pawtucket police Chief Tina Goncalves informed the media that three other victims are currently in critical condition at a hospital. The shooter reportedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Chief Goncalves suggested that the incident appeared to be a targeted attack, possibly stemming from a family dispute. No specific details were provided about the suspect or the age of the deceased victims, although it was mentioned that they were likely adults.
The authorities are actively investigating the incident, gathering witness accounts, and analyzing videos captured during the hockey game. Unverified footage circulating on social media depicts players taking cover and spectators fleeing in response to gunshots heard at the scene.
The shooting took place at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, near Providence. Outside the arena, emotional families and high school hockey players, still in their uniforms, were seen embracing before departing on a bus. Surrounding roads were closed off with a heavy police presence and helicopters monitoring the area.
This tragic event occurred nearly two months after another gun violence incident at Brown University, where two students were killed and nine others injured by a gunman who also targeted a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor. The perpetrator, Claudio Neves Valente, was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot at a New Hampshire storage facility.
Mayor Don Grebien of Pawtucket expressed sorrow over the unrelated tragedies, emphasizing the youthful nature of the victims involved in the hockey game. Pawtucket, situated about eight kilometers north of Providence and close to the Massachusetts border, is a town of nearly 80,000 residents, previously known as the location of Hasbro’s headquarters.