What we're covering
• Police are pursuing a new lead based on photos and videos of an individual taken around 2 p.m. Saturday, hours before the deadly mass shooting at Brown University, authorities said today. The FBI, which announced a $50,000 reward leading to an arrest and conviction, also released a description, saying the person is “approximately 5’8” with a stocky build.”
• Earlier, a person of interest detained in connection with the attack was released, and has been cleared in the investigation, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said.
• The shooting left two students dead and nine others injured at the Ivy League school, where classes and exams have been canceled. The campus remains on edge.
Student says sense of security was "completely destroyed" when person was released
Brown University student Annie Johnson’s sense of security was “completely destroyed” after news that an initial person of interest was released from custody, she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Monday.
Johnson said being in the airport to fly home “was a really weird experience” as she was surrounded by people who may have read about the university shooting on their phones and likely “didn’t understand what it was like to live through it.”
“I have to have sympathy for those people, and I have to understand them because like, just a week before, I probably would have done the same thing,” Johnson added.
New videos of person of interest reveal distinct details that may help identify them, CNN analyst says
New videos of an individual police are calling a person of interest provide a fresh look at the person’s size, how they walk and other details that may help the public to identify them, CNN senior law enforcement analyst Andrew McCabe said.
The individual has a distinctive gait with a consistent rhythm that someone close to them might be able to identify, McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
“He kind of walks the same way when he’s on the sidewalk or crossing the street, and he appears to favor his left leg just slightly, not so much that it would be indicative of any sort of permanent disability, but maybe the remnant of an old surgery or a knee injury or something like that,” McCabe said.
The videos also reveal the individual’s size and build, and more detail of their dark clothing.
“It’s those kind of details that I think could maybe trip somebody’s recollection that this is someone they know in their lives,” McCabe said.
Authorities released the videos Monday afternoon, describing the individual in them as “approximately 5’8” with a “stocky build.” The FBI also announced Monday a $50,000 reward for information leading to “the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual.”
FBI continues to assist in Brown University shooting, Patel says
The FBI continues to assist in the investigation into the Brown University shooting, with the Providence Police Department leading the investigation, Director Kash Patel wrote in a post on X.
The agency sent additional resources to the area today “to help track down leads, canvass neighborhoods, and develop intelligence,” and the Evidence Response Team is still helping to process evidence, he said.
“Anything Rhode Island authorities need from this FBI, we will be there,” Patel said.
Rhode Island attorney general says he's "confident" authorities can find person of interest
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha told CNN’s Erin Burnett that he was “confident” law enforcement would be able to find the person of interest in Saturday’s deadly shooting at Brown University.
He called the person shown in videos released by police “a significant person of interest, possibly more than that.”
“Hopefully very quickly, we can get this person identified, detained, questioned if possible, but certainly he is our primary person of interest right now,” the attorney general said.
Responding to comments President Donald Trump made about Brown University being to blame for the failure to quickly identify a suspect, Neronha said the shooting was instead a symptom of a greater problem.
Authorities shared new information about the suspect in the Brown University shooting. Here's the latest on what we know
Authorities provided significant new information in their latest news briefing on the shooting at Brown University, and announced a $50,000 reward from the FBI for information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of the suspect who is believed to be armed and dangerous.
The shooter in Saturday’s attack “definitely” targeted Brown University, Chief of Police Oscar L. Perez, Jr.
If you’re just tuning in for a quick roundup of the key details, here’s the rundown:
Suspect’s movements:
- Authorities said they are working to reconstruct the person’s movements both before and after Saturday’s shooting to eventually establish a pattern.
- Law enforcement is still investigating whether the shooter is still in the Providence community, Perez said.
Community safety:
- Providence Mayor Brett Smiley says the city “remains very safe” and there will be increased police presence at Brown University.
- An FBI team is continuing its work on campus.
About the suspect:
- There’s been “steady progress” in identifying the person in video released yesterday, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said.
- Police said they are pursuing a new lead based on photos and videos of an individual taken around 2 p.m. Saturday, hours before the shooting.
- The FBI released a description of a person they described as the suspect, along with photos.
- The suspect is “approximately 5’8” with a stocky build,” reads a poster released by the bureau.
- Images show a person dressed in dark clothing with a face mask and beanie.
Additional clarifications:
- There is no second person of interest in custody. One person was taken into custody Sunday before later being released and cleared.
- There will be no further briefings today unless there’s a prominent update in the situation. Authorities asked for patience as teams push through 49 hours of tireless work.
CNN’s Danya Gainor, Zoe Sottile and Michelle Watson contributed to the report.
Providence Police release videos of person of interest in the Brown University shooting
Videos released by the Providence Police Department show a person of interest walking around the area on Saturday hours before the deadly shooting at Brown University.
In the video, the person is walking on a sidewalk by a picket fence around 2 p.m. on Saturday, officials say.
Surveillance video shown during the Monday press conference showed an individual wearing what appears to be a mask crossing a street.
In another clip, the same individual is seen walking on the sidewalk next to an iron gate.
Additionally, officials displayed photos of the individual, who appeared to be wearing dark clothing.
Person described as suspect is 5'8" with a stocky build, FBI says
The FBI released a description of a person they described as the suspect in Saturday’s deadly shooting at Brown University, along with photos.
The shooter is “approximately 5’8” with a stocky build,” reads a poster released by the bureau.
Images show a person dressed in dark clothing with a face mask and beanie.
The FBI is urging members of the public to contact them with any information related to the shooting.
Rhode Island congressman urges the public to not pay attention to theories "floating around online"
Rhode Island Rep. Seth Magaziner urged the public on Monday to not pay attention to theories “floating around online” about who the suspect might be, warning some people may use “tragedies” like this “to stoke more fear and to stoke more division.”
“Unless there is official notification or official guidance, we shouldn’t be guessing or making assumptions about what the motive might have been or who the shooter might be,” Magaziner, a Democrat, told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
“So I would say, you know, follow those those regular press conferences from the local officials to get the real information, not the noise online,” he continued.
Officials face pushback over photo release timing
At Monday’s afternoon news conference, a journalist asked officials about the timing of the release of photos the FBI says show the suspect in Saturday’s deadly shooting at Brown University.
The photos were released Monday, two days after a gunman opened fire in the Ivy League school’s engineering building, killing two students and injuring nine others.
“It takes time,” Providence police chief Oscar L. Perez Jr. said. “Investigations are very complex, and when you’re doing canvassing areas or when you’re developing evidence, sometimes you get directed to another direction, and then that’s what makes you go back to certain areas and continue to investigate.”
Asked a pointed question about surveillance footage at Brown University, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley emphasized the hard work all agencies were putting into tracking down the suspect and their commitment to transparency.
“We continue to answer your questions,” he said during a tense moment. “We will continue to do so, but the best way to inform the public and to ask for their help is for these opportunities to not degrade into baseless accusations.”
No more briefings Monday unless there's a "significant update," mayor says
Mayor Brett Smiley said Providence officials will not provide another news briefing Monday unless there is a “significant update” to the situation.
"This individual definitely targeted Brown University," police chief says
Chief of Police Oscar L. Perez, Jr. said Monday the shooter in Saturday’s attack “definitely” targeted Brown University.
“What I can tell you is that this individual definitely targeted Brown University, because clearly we’re here speaking about that, and I can also tell you that obviously it’s something that we’re looking into – as far if there was anything else that he was targeting, but it’s all open” Perez said.
"We've all been working for 49 hours, we're tired": Providence mayor
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said he and other officials have “all been working for 49 hours, we’re tired – we’re serious about the task at hand.”
“I know that people are weary, and so I’m asking please for a little bit of patience and grace,” the mayor said. “We have been fully transparent. We continue to answer your questions.”
Authorities working to reconstruct person's movements
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said authorities are working to reconstruct the person’s movements both before and after Saturday’s shooting.
“What’s critical here is that we reconstruct … this man’s movements, both before and afterwards,” Neronha said Monday.
“My hope is that we will eventually have that pattern,” he added.
Police clarify no second person of interest was taken into custody
Providence Police Chief Oscar L. Perez, Jr. said reports that a second person of interest was taken into custody in connection to the shooting at Brown University were false.
One person was taken into custody Sunday before later being released and cleared.
Investigations can take different paths, police chief says
Providence Police Chief Oscar L. Perez, Jr. told reporters on Monday that investigations can take different paths.
“All detectives throughout this nation and in the world understand that when you investigate in a case, it takes different paths,” Perez said.
“You know, you start somewhere, you start here, and all of a sudden, something else pops off, and you’re going in a different direction. And that’s what happens. It’s complex,” he said.
Authorities working to determine whether shooter is still in the community
Law enforcement is still investigating whether the Brown University shooter is still in the Providence community, Chief of Police Oscar L. Perez Jr. said at a Monday news conference, but reassured residents the enhanced police presence is keeping them safe.
Authorities are making "steady progress" to ID person seen in video
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Monday’s work has seen “steady progress.”
“I would describe today’s work as making steady progress to identifying the person that we saw in the video that was released yesterday,” Neronha said during a news conference.
“And the sooner we can identify that person, the sooner we can, I think, blow this case open.”
Providence mayor says city "remains very safe"
As police continue to search for the person suspected of opening fire at Brown University, killing two students and injuring nine others, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley says the city “remains very safe.”
“Providence receives really the best law enforcement, you know, I believe in the country,” he said.
But he acknowledged “my sense of the community right now is that this is starting to get very real and very personal.”
Providence Police Department shows video and still of person in all black
Providence Police Chief Oscar L. Perez Jr. showed videos and a still photo of a person walking on a sidewalk in the area – one of which was said to be from before the attack.
The person appears to be dressed in all black.
Police asked for tips if anyone recognized the individual.
FBI evidence teams remain on Brown's campus
The FBI’s evidence response teams remain on Brown University’s campus following the shooting, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston field office Ted Docks said Monday.
Agents “are documenting the trajectories of the bullets to reconstruct the scene,” Docks said. “It’s painstaking work. We are asking the public to be patient as we continue to run down every lead so we can get victims, survivors and their families and all of you the answers you deserve.”
