In the aftermath of the February 16, 2026 shooting at Lynch Arena, investigators and the public have been piecing together a troubling family history tied to the suspected shooter, Robert Dorgan. Reports say a major clue sits far from Rhode Island: his biological son, Kevin Colantonio, is currently in federal prison after a separate, earlier case involving a deliberate attack that authorities described as hate-driven. That past incident has renewed questions about what patterns and influences may have existed inside the family long before the tragedy at the rink.

Colantonio’s case dates back to February 11, 2024, when a fire was reported at Shiloh Gospel Temple in North Providence. Investigators said surveillance footage and purchases — including gasoline and a lighter — helped identify the suspect, and a later search uncovered notebooks containing extremist, violent writings targeting racial and religious groups. He ultimately received a federal sentence in 2025. Now, with the Lynch Arena shooting being investigated as a targeted family dispute, the connection between the two cases has left many shaken: two high-profile acts of violence, two generations, and a legacy that communities are still struggling to understand.