Witnesses’ description of Brown University shooter matches person of interest, police say as manhunt continues
Law enforcement officials in Providence, Rhode Island, on Wednesday confirmed that witnesses’ description of the gunman in the Brown University shooting matches the images they have released of the person of interest in the case.
As the search entered its fifth day, authorities have so far been unable to identify the person of interest in the shooting that killed two students and wounded nine others over the weekend. Police on Wednesday also released a map of the area showing the streets where they say a person of interest is confirmed to have been on Saturday, the day of the shooting.
Police on Wednesday also asked for the public’s help in identifying someone who they say was seen in the area near the person of interest, so they could speak to him. Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said the person investigators want to speak to appeared to have come near the person of interest at the corner of Benevolent and Cooke streets. In a video released by police, the person of interest appeared to suddenly stop and turn around as he approached the corner.
“I want to urge you, the public, not to rely on AI generated images that are currently being shared on social media,” Perez warned at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon. “The updates and information you’re getting will be provided exclusively through this department’s social channels.”
When asked by a reporter if “any items of interest” have been found during the search so far, specifically clothing, Perez responded “nothing as we speak, no.”
In order to avoid any misinformation, Smiley said police have created a page on the department’s website where all the digital evidence is currently published.
Two of the wounded victims have so far been treated and released from the hospital, according to Providence Mayor Brett Smiley. One person remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition, and five others are in stable condition. The ninth victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Providence Police
Several videos of a person of interest in the case were released earlier this week. They show what police say are “enhanced” images captured on the East Side of Providence on Saturday afternoon, approximately two hours before the shooting.
The person of interest, who is wearing a face covering, is seen walking on a sidewalk and looking around — but it does not clearly show where the person went afterward, police said.
“At this point it’s unknown to us where this person works, it’s unknown to us if he was an affiliate of Brown, that’s all unknown to us,” Perez said.
Perez also confirmed Wednesday that only one weapon was used. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha then interrupted a reporter’s question about the gun, saying that certain details about the case don’t advance the investigation if they’re released to the public.
“As we interview witnesses, we don’t want them to learn facts from these press conferences. We want them to relay the facts they have in their heads,” Neronha said. “We’re being careful about the facts that we’re sharing for that reason.”
“He will be caught, it’s just a matter of time before we catch him,” Neronha later said of the gunman.
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.
Please share widely and contact the official tip line if you have… pic.twitter.com/mewBSflOiO
— Providence Police (@ProvidenceRIPD) December 16, 2025
Some of the footage released Tuesday by the Providence Police Department on social media appeared to be digitally enhanced versions of previously released videos. Police urged anyone with information to contact the FBI tip line online or at 401-272-3121.
“Even small details may be critical to this,” police said.
A source briefed on the investigation told CBS News the lack of usable surveillance video is significantly hampering the search for the shooter. That limitation is key reason police widened their request for video and photos on Wednesday to large perimeter around Brown University’s campus.
Investigators are specifically looking for footage that could show the suspect entering a vehicle, apartment, or residence in the moments after the shooting. An image released earlier Tuesday, though blurry, was the clearest picture of the person of interest released so far since the shooting on Saturday.
The FBI said the person of interest is about 5-foot-8 with a stocky build. The agency has also shared a timeline of when the videos were captured, including some videos that appear to have been obtained from residents’ private cameras. The person of interest is seen from about 2 p.m. on Saturday until just after 4 p.m., around the time the shooting took place.
Police said the individual was walking near Hope and Benevolent streets, just down the block from the Barus & Holley engineering building where the gunman opened fire. Authorities said Monday they had no information about a motive at this point.
The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the gunman.
Amid growing questions about campus security measures and the lack of better surveillance video, the university released a statement Wednesday saying that while Brown has “an expansive network of security cameras,” the cameras “do not extend to every hallway, classroom, laboratory and office across the 250+ buildings on campus.”
“Brown has heightened security on campus considerably in recent days, and we will do a large-scale systematic security review of the entire campus. We know we live in a different time,” the statement said.
Nicole Sganga and
Laura Geller
contributed to this report.
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