(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) One of the adult children of the transgender shooter in Rhode Island is serving a seven-year federal sentence after torching a predominantly black church in North Providence.
Kevin Colantonio, 37, is one of six children Robert Dorgan had before carrying out a mass shooting and then killing himself during a high school boys’ hockey game on Feb. 16, according to media reports.
Dorgan, who went by Roberta Esposito, shot and killed his former wife, Rhonda Dorgan, 52, and their son, Aidan Dorgan, 23. He also injured his former parents-in-law, Linda and Gerald Dorgan, as well as a family friend, Thomas Geruso, before taking his own life.
The sickening attack marked the latest high-profile act of violence involving a transgender-identifying individual. It also cast renewed scrutiny on the Dorgan family because years earlier, Dorgan’s son had committed a violent crime of his own, according to WPRI 12 News.
In February 2024, Colantonio set fire to Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries in North Providence after calling it a place of worship for “Atheist God mockers” in a text message to his family. The church’s congregation consists of roughly 100 members.
Two years before Robert Dorgan opened fire on the Dorgan family at a high school hockey game in Pawtucket, the shooter’s son from a different relationship set fires at a predominantly Black church in North Providence.
Target 12 investigates: https://t.co/qTnmuWDX2d pic.twitter.com/wunbuIreWZ
— WPRI 12 (@wpri12) February 19, 2026
Investigators also found racist writings in a notebook seized during the arson probe. In one passage, Colantonio wrote: “Gun everyone down that isn’t white, if one is white spread the gospel. Always give our bloodline a chance.”
He ultimately received a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to malicious damage by means of fire, obstruction of the free exercise of religious beliefs and two counts of assault on a federal officer.
As reported by the New York Post, locals said Dorgan had influenced Colantonio’s racism, noting the now-deceased shooter had neo-Nazi tattoos and published antisemitic and racist posts on social media.
Colantonio’s guilty plea was secured under the Trump administration, with Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon highlighting the case in a press statement at the time.
“This defendant acted with disdain against people of faith and complete disregard for law enforcement officers,” Dhillon said. “The Civil Rights Division will continue to vigorously prosecute anti-Christian bias in the United States and ensure Americans are free to worship without fear.”
