Brown University Shooting: R.I. Police Continue to Search for Suspected Shooter

By Irene Rotondo

Source masslive.com

The person of interest taken into custody in connection with a fatal mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday was released by the Providence Police Department.

The suspect had been merely identified by police as a man in his 30s. The person of interest was taken into custody at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, early Sunday morning.

However, by Monday morning, police confirmed he had been released. The search continues for the gunman who killed two students and injured nine others.

The Providence Police Department asks that any and all video or photo evidence be submitted via phone at 401-272-3121 or to the FBI tip line.

“Tonight, we announced that the person of interest is being released,” a statement from the Providence Police Department posted at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 15 on X read.

“The investigation has been ongoing and remains fully active between all agencies. Since the first call to 911, we have not received any specific threats to our community,” the statement read.

The shooting broke out around 4 p.m. on Saturday, inside the first floor of the Barus and Holley engineering and physics building. Officials said the gunman left the building on the Hope Street side.

A massive law enforcement response flooded Rhode Island after the shooting as the school and surrounding community went into a lockdown that lasted over 12 hours. A manhunt then ensued, with investigators combing the campus and nearby neighborhoods.

The department announced a person of interest was in custody early Sunday morning, but did not provide further details. There were no other people the department was seeking in connection with the crime at the time, Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said.

The campus shelter-in-place order was lifted around 5:45 a.m. Sunday, under two hours before the department announced the person of interest was in custody.

As of Sunday, seven people were in stable condition, one was in critical but stable condition and one person was discharged from the hospital after the shooting, Mayor Brett Smiley said.

Brown University president Christina Paxson said on Sunday morning that, while officials regularly prepare for this type of incident, “When it happens, it’s just hard to believe.”

“It’s devastating,” Paxson said.

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