Hero hockey fan tackled gunman during deadly Rhode Island rink shooting

What began as a routine high school hockey game in Pawtucket turned into chaos and one man’s instinctive courage may have saved lives.

Michael Black, 58, was sitting in the stands at Dennis M. Lynch Arena with his wife and friends when he heard what he first thought were balloons popping. Within seconds, he realized it was gunfire.

“All I saw was this person had a gun pointed at the people in the second row,” Black told NBC News. “I didn’t even look at my wife. I said, ‘Run, run.’”

Police say 56-year-old Robert Dorgan fatally shot his ex-wife and adult son and wounded three others before dying by suicide. But authorities credit bystanders, especially Black, with preventing even more devastation.

Black lunged toward the shooter, grabbing the weapon. His left hand became caught on the slide, preventing it from firing as the two struggled. Other spectators quickly joined, piling on in an effort to stop the attack.

During the struggle, Dorgan produced a second firearm and used it to take his own life.

“He just pulled it out of his pocket and put it his mouth and shot himself,” Black said.

Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said the actions of those who intervened most likely saved additional lives.

Black, a retired business owner with no prior tactical training, suffered a hand injury and was also burned on the face by one of the shells ejected during the initial gunfire. He says he’s leaning on friends in law enforcement and firefighting as he processes what happened. But he refuses to let the violence define him.

“This guy has disrupted so many lives,” Black said. “He’s not going to disrupt mine.”

In a moment of terror, a hockey fan became a hero.