Rhode Island youth hockey game shooting leaves 3 dead, including suspect | CBC News

Three people, including the suspect, were fatally shot during a Rhode Island youth hockey game Monday, authorities said.

Pawtucket police Chief Tina Goncalves told reporters that three other victims remain in hospital in critical condition.

“It appears that this was a targeted event, that it may be a family dispute,” she said.

Goncalves did not provide details about the suspect or the ages of those who were killed, although she said it appeared that both victims were adults.

Authorities were still trying to piece together what happened and speak with witnesses, Goncalves said.

The shooting happened at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, just outside of Providence.

Outside the arena, tearful families and high school hockey players still in uniform could be seen hugging before they boarded a bus to leave the area. Roads surrounding the arena were shut down as a heavy police presence remained and helicopters flew overhead.

Pawtucket is nestled eight kilometres north of Providence and near the Massachusetts border. A town of slightly less than 80,000, Pawtucket was, until recently, home to Hasbro’s headquarters.