A man who came to support a friend’s son at a high school hockey game is being credited with helping stop a deadly shooting inside Dennis M. Lynch Arena on Monday.
Michael Black of North Smithfield told WCVB he was in the bleachers when he heard what he first thought were balloons popping.
“I heard two shots, and I said, ‘balloons popping,’” Black said in an interview with WCVB. “I heard another popping and recognized it was not a balloon.”
Black said he told his wife and a friend to run, then moved toward the gunfire.
“I just grabbed, went for the gun and I got my hand caught,” he told WCVB.
He said his left hand became lodged in the chamber of the weapon, preventing it from firing again, as other bystanders rushed in to tackle the shooter. During the struggle, additional loaded magazines fell from the suspect’s possession, Black said.
Police identified the suspected shooter as Roberta Esposito of North Providence, a trans woman whom authorities said was born Robert Dorgan. Two people were killed and three others critically injured in the attack.
Black told WCVB that after being restrained, the suspect pulled out a second gun, put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
Authorities said the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said “a good Samaritan stepped in and interjected in this scene, and that’s probably what led to a swift end of this tragic event.”
Black said he suffered a hand injury and a burn to his face from an ejected shell casing. He later turned one of the firearms over to responding officers.
Despite being called a hero, Black pushed back.
“That’s not the right definition for me,” he told WCVB. “There’s heroes in my life, and I would definitely not put that definition towards myself.”
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