Brown University shooting: 2 killed, suspect still at large

Providence authorities will release a "person of interest" arrested earlier on Sunday amid an investigation into the Brown University shooting.

Officials said in a late night news conference that an investigation has taken them in a "different direction."

The release suggests the suspected shooter remains at large.

"We know that this is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community," Mayor Brett Smiley said.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez has said the person of interest who has been detained is in his 20s.

Providence authorities had said previously that the person of interest was in his 30s.  

No other details about the person have been provided.

Perez said finding a person of interest within 12 hours after the attack was the result of a coordinated effort among all levels of law enforcement.

He said it had been "all hands on deck" as police worked with various federal partners and officers from different municipalities, calling the coordinated response "outstanding work."

"I think that's why we have been able to move forward as we have and progress in such a fast manner," Perez added.

Brown University, a prestigious Ivy League school located in the northeastern state of Rhode Island, is reeling after a deadly Saturday night shooting on its campus.

Here's a look at what we know so far: 

• The shooting in Providence left two people dead and nine others injured — all of them students
• The assailant opened fire as students at Brown were taking their final exams 
• Providence police launched a manhunt after the attack
• A 'person of interest' was detained on Sunday 
• Brown University Provost Francis J. Doyle III announced that remaining fall semester classes would be canceled in the aftermath of the shooting
• Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said a shelter-in-place order that was implemented during the attack had now been lifted
• US President Donald Trump said the shooting is a 'terrible thing' and called for prayer  

Police in Providence and the city's mayor Brett Smiley said early on Sunday that "person of interest" has been detained in connection with the shooting the previous evening.

"I want to offer my profound thanks to all the hardworking men and women in law enforcement who worked through the night to be able to get us to this point," Smiley told reporters. 

Police Colonel Oscar Perez, who was also speaking at the press conference, said authorities were "not at this point" searching for anyone else in connection with the attack.

The university has also been advised that the "shelter in place" order for the entire campus has been lifted. 

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley just gave what he said would be the last update of the evening unless there are "meaningful updates or breaking news."

The latest briefing comes after local police released a surveillance video of the person they believe to be the shooter.

Smiley told reporters there is still no useful video from inside the building where the shooting took place.

Authorities said they are still canvassing the area.

According to Brown University, "law enforcement agencies have established a perimeter around a portion of Brown's campus."

It also said the shelter-in-place order remains in effect for all locations, both inside and outside the perimeter, and that no one should move across or near campus unless escorted by law enforcement.

Officials have released footage of the suspect. 

They are looking for a male dressed in black, who deputy police chief Timothy O'Hara said may have been wearing a camouflage mask and could be in his 30s.

The surveillance video shows the suspect leaving the building where the shooting took place.

In the video, the suspect is seen wearing dark clothing. His face is not visible.

While there is video footage from the building, authorities do not yet have a video of the suspect from inside Brown University's Barus and Holley building.

Police have asked those who may recognize the suspect's walking or have heard something to come forward.

Five hours after Brown University's alert of an active shooter, the suspect is still on the loose.

Here are the latest updates after the news conference given by Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, Timothy O'Hara, the deputy Providence police chief, and Brown University President Christina Paxson:

What authorities say

• A video showing an image of the suspect will be shared
• Two people killed were students
• There are in total 11 victims
• The shooting took place inside a classroom on the first floor
• The gunman could be in his 30s

What authorities don't know

• How the suspect entered the building

• What kind of gun was used

• How many students were inside the classroom

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley revised the number of people injured in the Brown University shooting to nine, adding that the additional victim's injuries are not life-threatening. 

This person did not suffer a gunshot wound, he added.

Smiley repeated that the shelter-in-place remains in effect.

In the United States, mass shootings at schools, workplaces and places of worship occur far more frequently than in many other developed countries.

The Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit organization that tracks gun violence in the US, has recorded 389 mass shootings — any incident where four or more people, excluding the shooter, are injured or killed — so far this year.

In 2024, there were more than 500 mass shootings recorded nationwide, according to the archive.

The right to own guns is protected by the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. 

Regulations vary widely by state, with some allowing easy access to firearms.

About four out of ten adults in the US live in households with a firearm, and 32% say they own a gun themselves, according to a 2023 survey by the Pew Research Center.

"All we can do right now is pray for the victims," President Donald Trump told reporters in brief remarks at the White House.

"Terrible news out of Rhode Island this evening," Vice President JD Vance said in a post on X. 

"Students should be able to learn in peace, not fear gun violence," said Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic senator for Massachusetts. 

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer posted, "No student, professor, or any American should fear for their life when on campus. We must do more to stop this senseless gun violence." 

• Brown University is one of the eight schools in the Ivy League, a group of elite institutions
• Founded in 1764, it is one of the oldest universities in the US
• It is located in Providence, the capital city of Rhode Island, in the northeast

• The school is around 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Boston and 180 miles from New York City

• There are about 7,300 undergraduates and just over 3,100 graduate students, according to the school's 'Brown by the Numbers' page

Final exams were taking place when a shooter opened fire on Saturday afternoon, Brown University Provost Frank Doyle said.

The shooting took place near the Barus & Holley building, which houses the university's School of Engineering and Physics department.

"We are working immediately to determine who was in the building at the time of the shooting. We had multiple exams scheduled in that building from 2 pm to 5 pm," according to the Ivy League school.

"We do not have a shooter in custody at this time," Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told a news conference.

He said that a shelter-in-place was in effect for the area.

Brown University also said that "the shooter or shooters still are not in custody at this time."

The suspect was a male who was dressed in black and last seen leaving the building, according to Timothy O'Hara, Deputy Chief of Police.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that "the suspect is in custody," only to later reverse the statement.

Officials also initially reported that a suspect was in custody.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel said on Saturday that FBI personnel were on the scene of the shooting.

"Please pray for all those involved. We will update with more information as we are able," Patel said.