What we're covering
• Authorities hunting for the perpetrator of the deadly mass shooting at Brown University released a new enhanced photo today and asked the public to pay attention to body movements, posture, gait and other patterns to help identify the person of interest.
• A person of interest detained earlier in connection with the attack has been cleared, but the early focus on that person may have delayed the investigation by up to a day, a CNN security analyst said.
• The shooting left two students dead and nine others injured at the Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island, where classes and exams have been canceled. The campus remains on edge, and the governor has ordered a sweeping review of school safety measures. At least 75 school shootings have unfolded this year in the United States.
Other videos "show things like chaos after the shooting" Rhode Island AG says
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Tuesday certain videos from inside a Brown building have not released because they “show things like chaos after the shooting.”
“What we have released to you are videos of this person of interest,” Neronha said.
The attorney general said those other videos likely could get released in the course of a prosecution.
But what they don’t show, Neronha said, is the person of interest, and that’s why they haven’t been released.
Person of interest seen on video "casing the area" hours before Saturday's shooting, police say
Police say the new videos show the person of interest “casing the area” in the residential neighborhood next to Brown University hours before the shooting on Saturday, Providence Chief of Police Oscar L. Perez, Jr. said.
“That’s what criminals do prior to committing a crime,” Perez said at a Tuesday news conference.
Brown president "deeply saddened" to see people questioning university's commitment to safety
Brown University President Christina Paxson said Tuesday during a news conference the institution is committed to safety and security.
“The primary point that I wanted to address before we get to questions is that Brown is deeply committed to the safety and security and well-being of our community, and I’ve been deeply saddened to see people questioning that,” Paxson said.
“We understand that as time goes on, there is maybe a natural instinct to assign responsibility for a tragic event like this,” she said.
“Anxiety and fear is very natural, but the shooter is responsible,” Paxson added.
Investigators will get job done but public should remain patient, Rhode Island AG says
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha says he is confident in the investigation into Saturday’s mass shooting on Brown University’s campus but urged the public to remain patient.
Rhode Islanders “should take confidence” in the work of the federal, local and state law enforcement and prosecutors on the case who are “veterans of what they do,” Neronha said at the news conference.
“They’re smart, they’re professional and they’re getting the resources from the mayor and the governor that they need, the state police as well, to get this job done and I’m confident they are going to be able to do that. Just need a little bit of patience,” Neronha continued.
The investigation poses challenges, Neronha said, but it’s going smoothly.
“I think the investigation in a case like this, which is a challenging one, is going really well,” Neronha said.
Working groups with colleges on safety and mental health coming, governor says
After meeting with university presidents across Rhode Island, Gov. Dan McKee said he wants to start working groups to enhance safety and mental health issues.
“I think that’s important,” McKee said at a Tuesday news conference. “As I’m out and about, we’re hearing a great deal of anxiety coming from families and students and the general public.”
Authorities have received hundreds of tips, police chief says
Authorities have received hundreds of tips in the investigation of Saturday’s mass shooting, Oscar L. Perez Jr., the chief of the Providence, Rhode Island, police department, said Tuesday.
“We have been receiving hundreds of tips. However, we’re about close to 200 actionable tips that we’re still conducting investigations on, which is incredible and is important,” Perez said at a news conference.
Police ask public to watch body movements and posture in new videos to identify person of interest
In a new collection of videos released by the Providence Police Department, authorities are asking the public to pay attention to body movements, posture, gait and other patterns to help identify the person of interest, Chief of Police Oscar L. Perez, Jr. said in a Tuesday news conference.
Police ask for security video, including from Teslas, from residential block near Brown University
Police are asking those who live in the residential block near Waterman Avenue and Hope Street in Providence to submit video footage from any type of camera system they may have, including from equipped vehicles such as Teslas, going as far back as “at least a week,” Chief of Police Oscar L. Perez Jr. said in a Tuesday news conference.
News conference with Providence officials has started
Officials in Providence are now providing an update on the fatal shooting investigation at Brown University.
Providence police release “enhanced” video of the person of interest in the Brown University shooting
New video released by Providence police on Tuesday provides a zoomed-in look on the person of interest in the Brown shooting.
“ENHANCED VIDEO: We are releasing an enhanced video of the person of interest in the Brown University incident. Footage was captured on the East Side of Providence on Saturday afternoon before the incident,” Providence police posted on X on Tuesday.
All videos included in the latest release were taken before the shooting at around 2 p.m., according to timestamps.
One shooting victim still in critical condition, two others discharged from hospital, chief medical officer says
One shooting victim remains in critical condition, two have been discharged from the hospital and the six others injured in Saturday’s shooting are in various stable conditions, said Dr. G. Dean Roye, senior vice president for medical affairs and chief medical officer for Rhode Island Hospital.
Five of the six stable patients are in critical but stable condition, meaning their vital signs remain stable but they still require presence in an ICU, Roye said during a Tuesday news conference.
The sixth patient is in stable condition, he said.
Search for person of interest continues as FBI releases new video timeline
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this post included a timeline video released by the FBI of a person of interest that has since been removed. The initial video that was posted was taken down because it included sensitive addresses, according to the Providence Police Dept.
The FBI, in coordination with local partners, on Tuesday released “a video timeline showing the movements of a person of interest” in Saturday’s mass shooting at Brown University.
“The #FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual responsible,” the agency said in a post on X.
Students were eager to get home to safety and security
Rabbi Josh Bolton, interim associate chaplain of the university for the Jewish community at Brown University, said students seemed eager to get home to safety and security following Saturday’s shooting.
“As you can expect, you know, students are of many different minds. This was, you know, something that hit so close. And yet also, of course, … violence like, this is something that, you know, this generation has become quite used to,” Bolton told CNN’s Brianna Keilar.
“I feel on the one hand, shaken up,” Bolton said. “I think all of us who were here on campus that evening feel shaken up.”
Bolton said he hopes to focus on a message: to keep a little bit of light, even in dark times.
“It’s the message of the season that we’re in right now, the message of the Hanukkah season,” he said.
“Even in times of profound darkness, a little bit of light can illuminate that darkness in profound ways,” Bolton said.
Officials will hold 5 p.m. ET news conference on Brown University shooting
Officials in Rhode Island plan to hold a news conference at 5 p.m. ET to update the public on the deadly shooting at Brown University, according to Josh Estrella, spokesperson for Providence Mayor Brett P. Smiley.
New image of person of interest in Brown shooting released
Providence police have released a new image of the person of interest in the Brown University shooting.
The department said it plans to release “additional media shortly.”
Police asked for the new image to be shared widely and urged anyone with information about the person’s identity to contact the official tip line.
Student is disappointed investigation taking long but feels safe going back
Zoe Weissman, a Brown University student who witnessed the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting, told CNN’s Boris Sanchez Tuesday: “I just couldn’t – I couldn’t even comprehend it. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.”
“I just couldn’t believe that this was something I was going through yet again, and yet at the same time I wasn’t surprised because I already know people who have been through two mass shootings whether that be friends from Oxford, Michigan, who then went on to Michigan State, or people who were at Douglas and then went to FSU,” Weissman, said.
Weissman said the length of the investigation is “disappointing,” but she generally feels safe returning to school next semester.
“I do feel safe going back to Brown,” Weissman added.
"Never felt scared" before Brown shooting, Providence resident says
The memorial outside the Barus & Holley Engineering building on Brown University’s campus, honoring Saturday’s shooting victims, was lined with bouquets. Providence resident Mandy Gervasio, carrying flowers to add to the growing tribute, lamented how the shooting had shaken the community in the days since.
Providence was a place where “nothing weird ever happened” and she “never felt scared,” recalling late-night runs undisturbed by violence, Gervasio told CNN’s Michael Yoshida.
“I think that in time, hopefully, that safety and that trust will sort of be rebuilt,” said Gervasio.
Law enforcement is still searching for the suspect, though Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said there is no current threat to the community. However, safety concerns remain among Brown students and Providence residents.
Providence police to release enhanced photo of person of interest soon
Providence police will release at least one additional image of the person of interest seen in surveillance video “soon,” according to Josh Estrella with the Providence city government.
A spokesman for Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha told CNN that Neronha mentioned an “enhanced” photo would be distributed Tuesday.
Estrella told CNN, “We anticipate footage to be released later in the afternoon — picture first.”
Since Saturday’s shooting, authorities have released five pieces of surveillance footage showing the man identified as a “person of interest” in the attack that killed two Brown University students and wounded nine others.
They have also released two additional still photographs, and the FBI has issued a poster describing the person as “approximately 5’8” with a stocky build.”
Investigators work to determine motive in Brown University shooting
While the manhunt continues for the Brown University shooter, investigators are also focusing on what may have motivated the attack.
“The real question that they’re struggling with is the targeting piece, which is, why there? Why then? Why that classroom? Why those kids?” CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller. “And because there’s no one identified or in custody … is this person going to strike at another target?”
Miller wondered if there might be a message investigators have not yet found.
“It does beg the why question, which is if you’re doing it to make a statement, what is the point of that without the statement?” Miller said. “And that’s adding some confusion to this.”
Timeline of manhunt for Brown University shooter isn’t out of the ordinary
As of this afternoon, investigators still have not identified the person who killed two students and injured nine others at Brown University four days ago. While the wait for news that the killer is off the streets may feel endless to the people of Providence, the investigation’s timeline is not unusual for a case like this, according to CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller.
Miller noted that additional video and images released by investigators could help police generate leads. He added that in other high-profile cases, such as the manhunt for Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, and the search for Tyler Robinson, accused of killing Charlie Kirk, it took more than a day to make an arrest.
“Look at both of those cases where the people who called in about people who were wearing masks and you could barely see their face, ended up being people who were very close to them and said, I think I know who this is” Miller said. “So that’s what they’re hoping for in a case like this.”
