PROVIDENCE: Authorities announced Sunday night that a man previously held as a “person of interest” in the Brown University shooting will be released from custody. Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez had earlier said a man in his 20s was detained in connection with the attack, which left two students dead and nine injured.
Read More: Gunman kills 2 students at Brown university
Officials later clarified that the investigation was taking a “different direction” and that there was no basis to continue holding the individual.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said the man was initially detained based on a “quantum of evidence” but investigators later determined he had no connection to the shooting. Authorities continue to search for the unidentified gunman seen in surveillance footage near the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building, where the attack occurred.
🚨BREAKING: The person of interest detained in connection with yesterday’s deadly shooting at Brown University has been released, hours after Kash Patel posted about the detention and took credit for it. The shooter remains at large. pic.twitter.com/0jfyBxAxTg
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) December 15, 2025
The shooting unfolded on Saturday while exams were in session, with outer doors reportedly left unlocked. Seven of the injured students were reported in stable condition, one remained critical but stable, and one had been discharged. Shelter-in-place orders at Brown University and surrounding areas were lifted on Sunday, though authorities warned that a visible police presence would remain across the city.
FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators used cellular geolocation data to track the released individual to a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 30 minutes from campus. Police also released a brief video clip of the suspected gunman, who may have worn a mask, walking near the engineering building.
Students described a chaotic scene as gunfire erupted, forcing them to take shelter in classrooms and apartments. Graduate student Ref Bari recounted hiding in a friend’s basement bathroom, while teaching assistant Joseph Oduro described bullets hitting near him. Brown University President Christina Paxson said the attack was a tragedy that the community hopes never to experience again.
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Authorities stressed that the investigation remains active, and they are confident of identifying the perpetrator in the near future.