Transgender gunman Robert Dorgan was related by blood to his former wife, Rhonda Dorgan, whom he fatally shot along with their son during a high school hockey game.
Details of the family connection surfaced after records revealed that the suspect shared the same surname as his ex-wife and her parents, both of whom were seriously wounded in Monday’s attack, the Providence Journal reported.
Rhode Island is one of roughly 20 states where first cousins are legally permitted to marry. The state — often referred to as the Ocean State — is also among a small number of states that allow avunculate marriages, such as those between an uncle and niece or an aunt and nephew, under certain religious or cultural conditions.
At the time, Edward Dorgan and his wife, Eva Dorgan, were living in Smithfield, Rhode Island, with their sons Raymond Dorgan and Robert J. Dorgan. Robert J. Dorgan later became the father of the shooter, Robert Dorgan. Raymond Dorgan, meanwhile, was the father of Gerald Dorgan, who was among those shot and remains in critical condition along with his wife, Linda.
Gerald and Linda Dorgan were the parents of Rhonda Dorgan. She married Robert Dorgan in 1992. Genealogical research determined that Rhonda and Robert were first cousins once removed. According to the outlet, Edward Dorgan was the grandfather of the shooter and the great-grandfather of Rhonda, establishing the familial link.
Robert and Rhonda Dorgan divorced in 2021. Court filings indicate that Rhonda initiated the divorce, citing Robert’s gender reassignment surgery and “narcissistic + personality disorder traits.”
Dorgan had six children with three different women. He shared three children with Rhonda: Aidan, 23, who was studying engineering; Ava, 20, a nursing student; and Colin, 17, who had been playing in the hockey game the night of the shooting.
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