Two were killed and another nine were injured in a shooting shortly after 4pm Sat, Dec 13, on the first floor of the seven-story Barus and Holley Building, 184 Hope St, Providence, the engineering and physics department headquarters on the Brown University campus. As of 11pm, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said the shooter remains at large and unidentified, and a “shelter in place” precaution remains in effect for the campus and surrounding area.
Providence Police supplied to Motif a surveillance video taken from the exterior of the Barus and Holley Building, showing a man considered the suspect walking north on Hope Street and turning right to walk east on Waterman Street. The suspect is seen wearing dark clothing, including a hat and gloves, and is never facing the camera. No other “useful”video has yet been identified by police, although they are actively reviewing other footage.
All of the shooting victims were students, confirmed Brown President Christina Paxson, and were being treated at RI Hospital. Of the eight surviving victims, one is reported in critical condition, six are reported in “critical but stable” condition, and one is reported in stable condition. (A ninth person took themselves to the hospital after realizing they had minor injuries; they were treated and released.)
Smiley said the city is not at this time recommending cancellation of events, and the police will deploy a heavy protective presence. Reportedly, Trinity Rep canceled their Sat evening show and Providence Place Mall closed early on Sat. However, a concert with an estimated 12,000 attendees went ahead as scheduled at the Amica Mutual Pavilion (Civic Center) with an enhanced police presence.
RI Gov. Daniel McKee said that he has spoken with President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel, who offered assistance. The FBI has set up a web tip line – fbi.gov/brownuniversityshooting – and Providence Police set up a telephone tip line 401-652-5767. The FBI site allows uploading photo and video files.
UPDATE Sun Dec 14, 6:45am: Brown University has lifted the “shelter in place” order. CNN reports that dozens of police officers raided a (still unnamed) hotel and took into custody a “person of interest” who may or may not be the shooting suspect.
UPDATE 7:25am: Smiley confirmed that a “person of interest” has been detained. Col. Oscar Perez, chief of Providence Police, said that he was limited in details he can share about the detained individual. Ted Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston office, implied the detention was accomplished by local law enforcement. Perez declined when asked to identify the hotel where the detainee was located or to discuss their affiliation with the university. Perez said that street closures in Providence at this point are for the purpose of preserving and collecting evidence on and near the campus. Smiley says that enhanced police presence is intended to be “comforting and reassuring,” not because of any concrete threat, and they are still not yet ready to identify the victims.
UPDATE Mon Dec 15, 12:30am: The “person of interest” will be released from custody, RI Attorney General Peter Neronha announced at a late night press conference. While “certainly there was some degree of evidence that pointed to the individual… that evidence needed to be corroborated and confirmed. And over the last 24 hours, leading into just very, very recently, that evidence now points in a different direction.” This means, “We have a murderer out there,” he acknowledged. Smiley said that ”the news is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community.”