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Person of interest detained after Brown University shooting
Police in Rhode Island said early Sunday that they had a person of interest in custody after a shooting that rocked the Brown University campus during final exams, leaving two people dead and nine others wounded.
Col Oscar Perez, chief of the Providence police, confirmed at a news conference that the detained person was in their 30s. Perez did not say where they were arrested or whether theywere connected to the university.
The shooting erupted in the engineering building of the Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island, during final exams. Hundreds of police officers had scoured the Brown University campus along with nearby neighborhoods and pored over video in pursuit of a shooter who opened fire in a classroom.
Providence leaders warned that residents will notice a heavier police presence on Sunday. Many local businesses announced they would remain closed and expressed shock and heartbreak as the community continued to process the news of the shooting.
“Everybody’s reeling, and we have a lot of recovery ahead of us,” said Brown University President Christina Paxson said at the news conference.
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Person in custody is in their 20s, officials say
Officials have now said the person of interest in custody is a person in their 20s, not in their 30s as stated earlier on Sunday.
Police refused to comment on a social media post by FBI director Kash Patel that claimed the arrest of a person of interest was based on a lead from Providence police.
Writing on X, Patel said the FBI “established a command post to intake, develop and analyze leads, and run them to ground. We activated the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, to provide critical geolocation capabilities.
“As a result, early this morning, FBI Boston’s Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the @USMarshalsHQ & the @Coventry_RI_PD, detained a person of interest in a hotel room in Coventry, RI, based off a lead by the @ProvidenceRIPD.
“We have deployed local and national resources to process and reconstruct the shooting scene - providing HQ and Lab elements on scene. We set up a digital media intake portal to ingest images and video from the public related to this incident.
“And the FBI’s victim specialists are fully integrating with our partners to provide resources to victims and survivors of this horrific violence. This FBI will continue an all out 24/7 campaign until justice is fully served. Thanks to the men and women of the FBI and our partners for their continued teamwork. Please continue praying for the victims and their families - as well as all those at Brown University.
Mayor Brett Smiley says he won’t share names of the victims yet as he believes some of their families have not yet been contacted because they might be travelling for the holidays.
He adds that bringing the person responsible for the shooting to justice is the top priority for officials. He reiterates the reason he’s not sharing unconfirmed information so as to not compromise any future prosecution.
Oscar Perez refused to say whether the person in custody is the same person as the one seen in surveillance footage released on Saturday night.
Perez declined to comment on whether officials had found the gun used in the attack.
Col Oscar Perez was asked whether officials had been able to establish any connection between the suspects and the university or find out why the suspect targeted the university.
Perez said: “So that’s all part of the investigation that we’re conducting. And again, it’s, it’s complex.”
Providence police chief declines to name any suspect
Police chief Col Oscar Perez addresses reporters and says he is aware of speculation around a suspect’s name. He says he is not ready to provide a name or names.
He told reporters the “investigation continues to progress extremely fast” He added: We’re in the process of collecting evidence and seizing items that we need to seize such location that we need to search.”
Mayor Smiley went on to say he visited victims of the attack and their families in hospital on Sunday.
He thanked the medical staff at Brown Health and Rhode Island Hospital, saying: “These folks, just like our law enforcement professionals, have been up all night working. But the level of care and professionalism that they’re exhibiting is extraordinary.
“These survivors received an excellent care. And the resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me is, frankly, pretty overwhelming. It pales in comparison what they’ve gone through for the rest of us here. We’re all saddened and scared and tired.
“But what they’ve been through something entirely different. And yet they showed courage and hope and gratitude for how this community has stood up for them, and how the health care providers care for them.”
Mayor Brett Smiley says the community would now turn “our attention to caring for our neighbors”.
He pointed to a website set up by the city of Providence where the community find resources for mental health care.
He said a vigil would be held at 5pm ET at Olympic Park, where there had been plans to light a Christmas tree and to light a menorah for the first night of Hanukkah.
He said: “And for those who know at least a little bit of a Hanukkah story, it is quite clear that if we can come together as a community and shine a little bit of light, if there’s nothing better that we could be doing this community.”
Providence mayor Brett Smiley begins the press conference. He starts by praising the level of collaboration between law enforcement agencies.
He says there is no update to share on the investigation, that the investigation is ongoing and that officials are cooperating with law enforcement agencies.
He said he would not share any information that could jeopardize the investigation or compromise any future charges.
The person in custody after the Brown University shooting had two firearms with them when they were detained, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN.
The exact type of firearms remains unclear.
