Liputan6.com, Jakarta - On Monday, February 16, 2026, a tragic shooting rocked Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States, during a youth hockey game.
This horrific incident resulted in the deaths of three people, including the shooter, and injured three others who remain in critical condition at the hospital, as reported by NBC News.
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Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves confirmed that the incident was likely targeted and stemmed from a family dispute.
Authorities, including federal agents from the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) and the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), were immediately dispatched to the scene to assist in the investigation led by the Pawtucket Police Department.
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien expressed his deepest condolences for the tragedy, calling it a "terrible tragedy" for the city of Rhode Island.
Chronology and Victims of the Shooting Tragedy
This deadly shooting happened on Monday afternoon, February 16, 2026, at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, during a youth hockey game.
The joyous atmosphere of senior night turned to panic when gunshots rang out, sending players and spectators scrambling for cover.
The incident killed three people, including the shooting suspect, and left three others with serious injuries that required intensive care in the hospital.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves revealed that the two victims, in addition to the suspect, were believed to be adults.
The shooting suspect was found dead at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, and police were not involved in his death.
The streets surrounding Dennis M. Lynch Arena were immediately closed, with a heavy police presence and helicopters monitoring the situation.
North Providence Public Schools confirmed that all youth players involved in the game were safe and have been reunited with their families.
Motive and In-depth Investigation
The initial investigation conducted by the Pawtucket Police Department, with the assistance of federal agents from the ATF and the FBI, indicates that the Rhode Island shooting was not a random attack.
Police Chief Tina Goncalves firmly stated that the incident was targeted and likely sparked by a family dispute.
Initial reports even indicated that a woman claiming to be the perpetrator's daughter gave emotional testimony, confirming that the man who fired the shots was her own father.
Previous Gun Violence Incidents in Rhode Island
The Pawtucket shooting incident occurred nearly two months after Rhode Island was rocked by a separate gun violence tragedy at Brown University in December 2025.
In the earlier incident, a gunman killed two students and injured nine others.
The Brown University shooter, 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, then fatally shot a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor before being found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in New Hampshire.
Although both incidents involved deadly gun violence, Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien emphasized that there was no connection between the hockey rink shooting and the Brown University incident.
"The fortunate thing is that they are not related, but it is very tragic," Grebien said, referring to the fact that the victims at the rink were high school students.