Authorities moved to release a person of interest they arrested on Sunday over a deadly mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, extending the manhunt to its third day.
The FBI and police have not identified a suspect since the perpetrator opened fire with a handgun in the school’s engineering building during final exams on Saturday, killing two students and wounding nine others, officials said Sunday night. The FBI pursued a local police lead to arrest the initial person of interest in Coventry, FBI Director Kash Patel said on X earlier that day, thanking “the men and women of the FBI and our partners.”
“Certainly, there was some degree of evidence that pointed to this individual, but that evidence needed to be corroborated and confirmed,” Democratic Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha told reporters. “And over the last 24 hours … just very, very recently, that evidence now points in a different direction.” Officials said that night that the person of interest would be promptly freed, taking the investigation back to square one.
Authorities released surveillance video on Saturday of a hooded individual in dark clothing who is still being sought. Neronha emphasized Sunday that the individual is a person of interest, not a suspect.
“There are a lot of unknowns in this case,” he said.
Democratic Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told a reporter that there is still more evidence to gather in Providence when asked where the suspected shooter currently is.
“Honestly, we have no way of knowing, and the investigation is ongoing,” he said. “We continue to follow leads that have been developed over the last day and a half, and we’re continuing to ask for help.”
One victim of the shooting has been discharged from hospital care as of Monday morning, while the rest are fighting for recovery, including one in critical condition, WCVB reported. One of the two deceased victims was identified as 19-year-old Brown University College Republicans Vice President Ella Cook.
Patel touted the FBI’s investigative activity in his post announcing Sunday’s incorrect arrest.
“[The FBI’s Boston office] established a command post to intake, develop and analyze leads, and run them to ground,” he wrote. “We activated the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, to provide critical geolocation capabilities … We have deployed local and national resources to process and reconstruct the shooting scene — providing HQ and Lab elements on scene. We set up a digital media intake portal to ingest images and video from the public related to this incident.”
“This FBI will continue an all out 24/7 campaign until justice is fully served,” Patel said.
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