2 dead in a shooting at a hockey rink in Rhode Island, police say. The suspect is also dead
By Elise Hammond, Mark Morales, Danya Gainor, Amanda Musa, CNN
(CNN) — A hockey game was violently interrupted Monday when the sound of gunfire echoed inside a packed ice rink in Rhode Island, leaving at least two people dead and three others injured, police said.
The gunman appeared to have been targeting members of his own family, two law enforcement officials who have been briefed on the situation tell CNN.
The latest spasm of gun violence comes just two months after a shooting at Brown University, a few miles south, left Rhode Island shaken and underscored the vulnerability of trusted community spaces.
The shooting appeared to unfold behind one of the team’s benches in the middle of play, video from the youth-sports streaming service LiveBarn shows. In the footage, aired by CNN affiliate WJAR, players from both teams are seen taking cover as at least a dozen shots are fired, with players and coaches rushing for the gates leading out of the rink’s benches.
Some of the high-school-aged skaters joined the players on the ice, leaping into the rink amid the sound of shots, charging toward a door on the opposite side which leads to the locker room, according to WJAR. Another person tried to disarm the shooter in the stands, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island said on social media.
The suspected shooter appeared to die of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after opening fire, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said at a news conference Monday. The incident was a targeted shooting and may have been related to a family dispute, she said, emphasizing law enforcement is still investigating.
The three injured people are in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital with gunshot wounds, the hospital system said. It is the same facility where victims in the shooting at Brown University were treated.
Police are working to put together a timeline of what happened before they responded to the facility at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Goncalves said. Police are not yet sure of the relationship between the shooter and the victims yet, she added.
It was the 41st mass shooting across the US in the first 47 days of the year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
“This kind of violence, especially in a place meant for families and youth, is devastating,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said in a post on X.
Students playing in the game are safe, school says
Two teams made up of students from multiple schools were playing in hockey games at the arena, according to school officials. North Providence, which is involved with one of the co-op teams, told CNN the shooting involved spectators and happened around the start of the first period.
“Fortunately, all students involved in the game are safe,” Superintendent Joseph B. Goho said. North Providence previously said, “Preliminary information indicates the incident may have involved parent(s) of NP student(s).”
Meanwhile, Coventry, another school, said all its students have been accounted for. Saint Raphael Academy also said none of its students were hurt, according to WJAR.
Rhode Island lawmakers decried this latest instance of gun violence. Rep. Gabe Amo said in a statement on X that “an ice arena should be a safe place for kids and families to come together. It’s horrible that the memory of these teams’ high school hockey Senior Night, with families from across Rhode Island, will be a tragedy.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said the incident is “more unnecessary horror for kids,” in a post on X. Sen. Jack Reed also posted a statement, saying, “children and families should be safe at a youth sporting event, not subject to gun violence.”
The arena is about 5 miles north of Brown University’s Barus and Holley engineering building in Providence, where a 48-year-old man opened fire in December, killing two students and wounding nine other people.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded in assisting local law enforcement, an agency spokesperson tells CNN.
Rhode Island State Police were also working with local agencies, according to Gov. Dan McKee. Providence Police also had officers assisting, it said in a post on X.
“I am praying for Pawtucket and everyone involved,” McKee said on X.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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