At least two people, including a girl, were killed and three others were injured on Monday, February 16, in a shooting that occurred during a field hockey game at an ice rink in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where the attacker was also killed, according to reports from authorities and local media.
According to WJAR channel, citing the Mayor’s Office, one of the deceased victims is a girl and the other has not been identified.
Shooting in Rhode Island
JUST IN 🇺🇸🚨: New video shows the moment sh0ts were fired inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena ice rink in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, during a high school field hockey game, killing a young girl and injuring four others.
– Meme Demon (@MemeDemonMode) February 16, 2026
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves told a news conference that the three people hospitalized are in critical condition and the second victim died in the hospital.
Goncalves corroborated initial versions that the shooting had a “target” and may have been due to a “family dispute”, but did not state whether the victims are related to the aggressor or their age.
CNN, citing police sources, indicated that the event appeared to stem from a domestic dispute, as the assailant fired at members of his own family.
Gonçalves confirmed that the suspect in the shooting is deceased and suggested that he committed suicide with the gun.
A girl among the victims
The mayor of East Providence, a nearby town, Bob DaSilva, posted a message of condolence on Facebook in which he also reported that there is a deceased girl and that “the shooter apparently also took his own life.”
The incident took place after 3:00 p.m. local time during a high school field hockey game being held at the local Lynch Arena indoor ice rink, which was also hosting a school tournament involving at least five teams from the area, the report said.
The game was just getting started
Our hearts are heavy tonight.
My message to Rhode Islanders: pic.twitter.com/ZJB9LNzd3O
– Governor Dan McKee (@GovDanMcKee) February 17, 2026
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee indicated on X that authorities are investigating the shooting and that he is in contact with the mayor, Donald Grebien, as well as state and local law enforcement.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is assisting in the investigation and numerous police officers have been deployed to the stadium, according to images posted on social media.
The head of North Providence Public Schools, Rhode Island’s capital, Joseph Soho, told the Providence Journal that “all students involved in the game are safe” and that the shooting, which occurred at the start of the game, involved spectators.
With information from EFE
