Courage Under Fire: How Bystanders Halted the Pawtucket Tragedy

a high school hockey game at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena turned into a scene of chaos when 56-year-old Robert Dorgan opened fire on his own family members. While the initial moments were defined by tragedy, the event is now being remembered for the extraordinary bravery of the “Good Samaritans” who stepped in to stop the shooter.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

The Struggle to Disarm

As shots rang out in the stands, three men—Michael Black, Robert Rattenni, and Ryan Cordeiro—made the split-second decision to charge the gunman. Their intervention was a desperate, physical struggle:

• The Jam: Michael Black reached the shooter first, shoving his hand into the slide of Dorgan’s handgun. The mechanical action of the gun clamped down on his hand; while it caused a severe injury requiring stitches, it effectively jammed the weapon, preventing further shots from being fired into the crowd.
• The Takedown: Despite Dorgan’s size, the three men worked together to wrestle him to the ground. One witness described the scene as a “wall of people” descending on the shooter to neutralize the threat.

Life-Saving Medical Response

While the struggle was happening, the arena’s civilian population pivoted to medical care. Because the event was a local sporting match, several off-duty professionals were in the stands:

• Retired First Responders: Chris Librizzi and Glenn Narodowy, both retired firefighters, immediately began triaging the wounded.
• On-Site Nursing: Maryann Rattenni provided critical first aid, stabilizing the victims before official emergency units arrived.

The Outcome

The shooter took his own life with a secondary weapon as police closed in, but law enforcement was clear in their assessment: without the intervention of these citizens, the death toll would have been significantly higher. Though the community mourns the loss of Dorgan’s ex-wife and son, the survival of three other family members is being credited directly to the “heroes in the stands” who refused to be bystanders.