Topline
The man police detained on Sunday in connection to the deadly mass shooting at Brown University—following federal law enforcement involvement touted by FBI Director Kash Patel—has been released, sending police back out to scour the neighboring areas for more video clues.
Law enforcement officers on Brown University’s campus hours after the deadly shooting.
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Key Facts
At a Sunday morning press conference, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley announced a person of interest was in custody and the shelter in place order was lifted.
Police had not identified the person of interest as of Sunday evening, but both NBC News and The Washington Post later identified the man as a U.S. Army veteran in his twenties.
But by Sunday night, the man was released, with Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha saying “there is no basis to consider him a person of interest.”
“Obviously we have a murderer out there, frankly, and so we’re not going to give away the game plan,” Neronha said.
In an interview with “Good Morning America” on Monday, Smiley said that “after a review of the evidence that was gathered, it was determined that the person of interest needed to be released.”
Brown cancelled all classes, final exams, papers and projects for the rest of the semester, Provost Francis J. Doyle III announced in a message on Sunday morning.
In a later post on Monday morning, the university said the police investigation remained ongoing and police “do not believe there is any immediate threat to Brown or the local community.”
Key Background
Around 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, a gunman opened fire in a classroom on Brown’s campus in Providence, Rhode Island, killing two victims and injuring another nine people. Brown University President Christina Paxson confirmed the shooting took place in a classroom where a final exam review for a principles of economics class was taking place. A shelter in place order was issued for the area around the campus in the immediate aftermath. Few details were immediately released about the suspect, and police only shared grainy security camera footage of a person of interest dressed in all black clothing.
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