The deranged gunman who shot five people, killing two, in a suspected “family dispute” at a Rhode Island high school hockey tournament was plagued by “mental health issues,” his distraught daughter said.
The woman, who did not give her name, was exiting the Pawtucket Police Department when she told NewsCenter 5 “my father was the shooter.”
“He shot my family, and he’s dead now,” she said while hurrying away from the station, flanked by a man and child.
“He has mental health issues,” she added, noting her father was “very sick,” but didn’t elaborate further.
She said that she wasn’t sure who was killed or injured, but was heading to the hospital to check.
The gunman, whose identity has not been released, was found dead inside the Lynch Arena with one other fatal victim. Another victim died at the hospital, and three others are still in critical condition, police said.
A little girl is believed to be among the dead, according to the Pawtucket mayor’s office.
A little girl is believed to be among the dead, according to the mayor’s office.
The shooting is being investigated as a “family dispute,” Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves confirmed at a press conference. She did not divulge the shooter’s exact relation to the victims, but local reports said the shooter was a father who gunned down his wife and three kids.
Harrowing livestream footage captured the moment the gunman opened fire after he reportedly moved from the back of the stands to the front.
The players and spectators dove to the ground as approximately 11 shots rang out, the clip shows. Athletes who were still on the ice rushed to the edge, seemingly in an attempt to take cover behind the barrier, before dashing towards the locker room.
Others trapped on the bench scrambled to the exit, with some ditching their skates in the box.
From there, a group of students sprinted to a nearby Walgreens, where staffers locked down the building and called the authorities.
One witness said that a player’s father disarmed the gunman, but he had another weapon and opened fire again.
Students from Coventry, Johnston, North Providence, and North Smithfield high schools were all at the arena, along with others from St. Raphael Academy and Providence Country Day School.
