Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said the shooter’s former in-laws and a family friend were injured.
Pawtucket Police Chief, Tina Goncalves, announced this Tuesday (17) that the victims of a shooting attack in Rhode Island, in the United States, were the shooter’s ex-wife and son. According to the police investigation, the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In an interview with journalists, Gonvalves said that three more people were injured: the shooter’s former in-laws and a family friend. The police chief clarified the initial information that a man opened fire on the suspect, which prevented more people from being hit by the shots.
According to witnesses, after three people tried to restrain him, the shooter managed to grab a second firearm. Goncalves explained that the suspect was hit by a “self-inflicted gunshot”.
Understand the case
On Monday (16), a gunman opened fire on spectators at a hockey game at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The game was broadcast live on LiveBarn, a streaming for youth sporting events.
Videos shared on social media showed players on the ice as popping sounds are heard. The images also revealed the moment when athletes on the benches dived for protection, while those in the ring skated frantically towards the exits and spectators fled their seats.
The Pawtucket Police Chief reported that the department identified the shooter as a 56-year-old man. According to Goncalves, the shooter had already gone to other hockey games “without incident” and he did not talk to his relatives before opening fire in the arena.
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard spokesman David Hench said Tuesday that the shooter was an employee at the national construction facility in Bath, Maine, about 195 miles (306 km) away from the site of the attack.
In a message sent to the news agency Associated PressDestiny Mackenzie, a colleague of the shooter, said they both talked often about family. However, the suspect never mentioned his ex-wife, he only said that his son played hockey.
“Families and children now have to live with the images of this tragedy. It is to these families that I send my condolences. The reality of our gun laws needs a major reconsideration and it is unfortunate that guns fall into the hands of such sick individuals,” wrote Destiny Mackenzie.
Mackenzie said the shooter had a bad temper that sometimes led to heated arguments with colleagues. He said that the suspect dressed as a woman and liked to be called by a female name.
Another co-worker said the shooter appeared to be divided on the issue of transgender acceptance: at times proud of his transition and at other times embarrassed.
That same co-worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said he knew the suspect had guns but wasn’t sure how many.
The shooter briefly served in the Marine Corps, enlisting on April 26, 1988, according to military records. However, his service was short-lived. Less than three months later, on July 13, he was discharged with the lowest rank.
Maj. Jacoby Getty, a Marine Corps spokesman, told Associated Press that the quick dismissal indicated “that the character of his service was incongruous with the expectations and standards” of the corporation.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
