A gunman murdered two people before shooting himself after opening fire at a high school hockey tournament in Rhode Island following a ‘family dispute,’ according to police.
Chaos unfolded on Monday afternoon at Dennis M Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, about 10 minutes outside of Providence.
Mayor Donald Grebien first said one of the victims was a young girl, but Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves has since said both deceased victims were adults.
Three others were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Gonaclaves said the confrontation involved one family and that the investigation remains ongoing.
She and the mayor both acknowledged live stream footage circulating online that captured the distressing moment shots were fired.
The clip showed players on the ice as approximately 12 gunshots rang out, leaving athletes and spectators running for their lives. Several of the players quickly skated off the ice while fans ducked down in their seats.
Hockey players on the ice were not harmed as the shooting occurred in the stands near spectators.
The scene outside of Dennis M Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, after a gunman opened fire during a high school hockey tournament on Monday afternoon. At least one person, a young girl, has died in the gunfire, and four others are in hospital
Photos of the scene showed parents holding on tightly to their children as they evacuated to the parking lot
A father is seen is seen hugging his son outside of the ice arena
Police said the gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after raining bullets in the arena. Police are not looking for any other suspects at this time.
It was not a school day due to President’s Day, a federal holiday. The tournament was played between two interscholastic teams.
The hockey game was between a co-op team made up of Coventry and Johnston kids, playing against another co-op team from St. Raphael, PCD, North Providence, and North Smithfield schools. The tournament started at 2pm.
Tragic photos of the scene showed parents holding on tightly to their children as they evacuated to the parking lot on Monday afternoon.
Footage also showed parents with their hands on their heads and children – some still wearing their hockey uniforms – crying.
A large yellow school bus was also seen parked outside the arena, along with multiple police officers who roped off the crime scene.
Multiple ambulances were also seen arriving then quickly fleeing to nearby hospitals.
One victim was seen being taken out of the arena on a stretcher.
A woman is seen crying after the shooting at the Dennis M Lynch Arena on Monday
Police are seen at the scene of the shooting, where one young girl died
Officials said that the investigation is still active, but the shooter is dead
After shots rang out at the indoor hockey rink, terrified children ran into a nearby Walgreens pharmacy, screaming, an employee told WPRI.
FBI Boston said the agency is aware of the deadly shooting and have ‘responded to the scene.’
‘We stand ready to assist our partners at the Pawtucket Police Department and @RIStatePolice with any and all resources they need.
‘At this time, there is no imminent threat to public safety and there has been no request for FBI assistance. However, the public should continue to avoid the area,’ the FBI added.
The shooting comes just two months after another gunman opened fire at Brown University, also located in Rhode Island.
The shooter, Cláudio Manuel Neves Valente, shot 11 people. Two students, Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, died. Nine others were injured.
They were in a study session held at the Ivy League’s School of Engineering Barus and Holley Building when a gunman burst in and opened fire.
Valente fired 40 rounds – causing terror among the college students.
Shots reportedly rang out from the stands in the stadium on Monday afternoon
During the ordeal in December, the entire Rhode Island community was thrown into turmoil for days as police and the FBI tried to locate the suspect.
Brown canceled all remaining classes, exams, papers and projects for the semester at the time – and told students they could leave campus, underscoring the scale of the disruption and the gravity of the attack.
Rhode Island is the smallest US state by land area, covering just 1,214 square miles with 1.11 million residents.
The Daily Mail contacted the Pawtucket Police Department for comment.
