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.
Our coverage of the ongoing search for a suspect in the shooting at Brown University has moved.
Roommate of shooting victim remembers him as a "ball of joy"
When Brown freshman Khimari Manns heard about the shooting on campus, he immediately reached out to his wrestling teammates, his classmates and his roommate, MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, while sheltering in a restroom.
But when Umurzokov didn’t respond during the lockdown, Manns began to worry. “Something didn’t feel right. I texted him and he didn’t text back,” Manns told CNN affiliate WBZ.
“What I do know is that Brown is grieving. I am grieving,” he said, adding that Umurzokov was a “ball of joy” and that his absence is felt throughout the Brown community.
“His soul truly did reverberate throughout the community,” he said.
After Brown shooting, McKee calls for sweeping review of school security plans
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee has ordered a sweeping review of school safety measures after the Brown University shooting left the campus on edge.
He directed the state’s top education officials to “work with both K-12 and higher education to conduct a full review of their school safety and security plans.”
The governor said the state is committing “every resource available” to assist Providence and Brown University as the manhunt for the gunman continues. He also called for an increased police presence at schools to steady anxious students, families and educators.
It’s been more than 72 hours since a gunman opened fire on Brown’s campus, killing two students. Here’s what we know
Authorities on Monday released photos and videos of a new person of interest, described as “approximately 5’8” with a stocky build.” A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
The images show an individual dressed in dark clothing and masked. The person’s distinctive gait and consistent rhythm could be recognizable to someone close to them, a CNN senior law enforcement analyst said.
The new lead comes after the release of a person of interest previously detained in connection to the shooting, a decision that has sparked confusion and concern within the Brown community.
With a manhunt underway, here’s what we know:
- Footage released by authorities shows the new person of interest on Saturday, roughly two hours before the shooting. Investigators are now working to reconstruct the person’s movements before and after the attack to determine a pattern, including whether they are still in Providence.
- The university is urging anyone who was at Brown’s Barus & Holley building - the site of the shooting - on Friday or Saturday to speak to assist investigators in their efforts to track down the suspect.
- Meanwhile, Brown University said it is “significantly enhancing” campus security amid an uptick of “swatting calls” and reports of threats authorities say have been so far baseless and unfounded.
Victims
- MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old student from Virginia, was one of two killed in the attack. He is remembered by family as “incredibly kind, funny and smart,” according to a GoFundMe. “He had big dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon and helping people,” the fundraiser said. Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister expressed his condolences, saying in a statement “the loss of innocent lives as a result of this tragedy is a great loss for all of us.”
- Ella Cook, a 19-year-old from Mountain Brook, Alabama, was also identified as one of the victims by the Cathedral Church of Advent, where she was a parishioner. She was described during Sunday’s service as a “faithful bright light.” Cook was also the vice president of Brown’s College Republican Club. Vice President JD Vance described her as having a “special courage to lead an organization of conservatives on a left-wing campus.”
Brown asks campus community to help with ongoing investigation
Brown University officials are asking anyone who was in the Barus and Holley Hall - the site of Saturday’s shooting - to assist investigators in their efforts to track down the suspect.
“We ask that anyone who was in Barus & Holley building on Friday or Saturday, Dec. 12-13, immediately contact the Providence police to arrange for an interview,” the university said in an update Monday evening. “Even what seems like an incidental detail may ultimately be helpful in law enforcement’s efforts to protect our community.”
The university also emphasized that campus safety remains its foremost priority. It said reports circulating about additional intruders and violence on and around campus were unfounded and that police have responded to several calls about reported threats, each determined to be baseless. Brown has also experienced an uptick of “swatting” calls, it said.
The university said it has put in place additional safety measures, including an enhanced security presence on campus and restricted building access.
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.
