Brown University Mass Shooting

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Two people died and eight others were wounded following a shooting this afternoon at the Barus & Holley building of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, officials said.

Of the injured, one was in stable condition, six were critical but stable and another was stabilized, a Brown University Health spokesperson said tonight. All patients were taken to Rhode Island Hospital, the spokesperson said.

There is no suspect in custody, officials said. The university had earlier said that one person was in custody.

The shooter was described as a male dressed in all black, and he ran away on the Hope Street side of the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building, officials said.

The university has instructed the broader Brown community to continue to shelter in place, lock their doors, silence their phones and stay safe.

11th victim hurt by fragments in shooting
The number of victims in today’s shooting rose to 11, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said, after an additional person was found to have been hurt by fragments.

The additional victim was not shot and the injuries are not life-threatening. Smiley said.

Officials previously said two people were killed and eight were injured, most of whom are in critical condition.

‘No reason to believe that there are any additional threats,’ mayor says
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said tonight that calls of other shootings following the mass shooting at Brown University were unrelated.

“We have no reason to believe that there are any additional threats at this time,” he said at a news conference. “Any calls that have been received in the last several hours to 911 have been unrelated.”

“There have been no additional calls for service or calls of anything related to this incident,” he said.

A manhunt is underway to find the shooter.

Shelter in place remains for Brown and surrounding neighborhood
A shelter-in-place warning remained in effect for Brown University and the surrounding neighborhood tonight, but not for the city of Providence as a whole, Mayor Brett Smiley said.

“We have no reason to believe that there is any particular threat beyond that area at this time,” Smiley said at a news conference.

The gunman in today’s deadly shooting at Brown University has not been caught and authorities are searching for him.

Shooting took place inside a classroom
Today's attack at Brown University took place inside a first floor classroom, officials said at a late-night news conference.

The officials at the event were unable to say how many people were inside or why they were there.

Brown University President Christina H. Paxson said eight of those injured in the attack are believed to be students. It was unclear whether a ninth person who authorities announced had been injured by fragments is a student.

The classroom is inside the university's Barus & Holley building, which houses its engineering and physics departments. Mayor Brett Smiley said finals were taking place inside the Barus & Holley building at the time, but officials could not confirm what was happening in the classroom at the time.

"Because there were exams taking place, the outer doors of the building were unlocked," he said at tonight's news conference. "There were sure to be doors inside the building that were locked and that required access. But the outer doors were unlocked because it was 4 o'clock while exams were taking place."

The institution has been amid final exams since yesterday.

Over 400 law enforcement officers on the ground in search for suspect, mayor says
There are more than 400 law enforcement officers on the ground searching for the gunman who opened fire at a Brown University building today, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said.

“Every minute matters. We know every minute matters,” Smiley said at a news conference tonight.

Officials have thus far only been able to describe the shooter as a male wearing black clothing

Brown junior who survived shooting at her high school describes living through another one
Brown University junior Mia Tretta was wounded in a school shooting at her high school in Santa Clarita, California, in 2019. Today, she was at the Providence university when she received reports of an active shooter on campus.

She said after she received the first text, hundreds rolled in. "It came from every group chat, every person I know, and Brown itself," Tretta said.

“No one in this country even assumes it’s going to happen to them," she said when talking about gun violence. "Once it happens to you, you assume or are told it will never happen again. And obviously that is not the case."

She said when picking colleges she wanted something small, someplace she could feel safe. She even mentioned that in her entire time at Brown, she has never entered a library alone out of fear.

“Like everyone here at Brown, I’m scared. Our whole community is kind of in shambles,” she said.

She said the day she was shot in 2019 changed her life forever. "I have not been the same person I was that day ever again, and I assume it won't be any different for the students at Brown."

‘You can safely go to church tomorrow,’ Providence mayor says
As the search for the Brown University gunman continues, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said that there is no known threat to the larger community.

“It’s a personal choice whether you want to cancel your holiday party, but we do not feel it is necessary,” Smiley said in a news conference late tonight.

“In the hours that have eclipsed since the initial shooting, we’ve received no additional credible information that there is any specific ongoing threat from this individual,” he said.

"We do believe you can safely go to church tomorrow,” Smiley said. There will be an increased police presence in the city, he said.

Perimeter established around part of campus as shelter-in-place warning continue
A shelter-in-place warning remains in place for the Brown University campus and the surrounding area.

The university tonight posted a map of the perimeter placed by law enforcement.

“For all locations (inside and outside the perimeter), the shelter in place remains ongoing — unless escorted by a law enforcement officer, this means ensuring no movement across or near campus,” Brown University said.

Brown cancels final exams that were scheduled for tomorrow
Final exams scheduled for tomorrow have been canceled, Brown University Provost Frank Doyle said during a news conference tonight.

"At this time, we will not be having final exams tomorrow," he said.

End-of-semester finals started yesterday and were scheduled through the end of next weekend, according to the school's academic calendar.

Two final exams were taking place today inside Brown's Barus & Holley building, where the shooting took place, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said. The building is a core part of the school's engineering and physics programs and stands on the eastern edge of campus.

Doyle said there's so much going on inside the seven-story building that it's been difficult so far to determine what was happening inside the ground-floor classroom where the shooting took place.

Suspect in Custody
Two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter say a suspect is in custody in connection with the shooting.

The man had a unique characteristic on his firearm, the officials said, and that firearm was found when he was taken into custody.

The person has not been identified and has not yet been charged.

Community can 'breathe a sigh of relief' with person of interest in custody, mayor says
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley assured residents in the community that they could "breathe a sigh of relief" knowing that a person of interest has been detained in connection with yesterday's shooting.

Smiley praised law enforcement for their work, noting that an investigation is still underway to assure that charges can be filed against the person responsible for the shooting. Smiley also reminded residents that there are still people at the hospital receiving treatment.

"My message for the Providence community is, one, they should feel safer this morning than they did when they went to bed last night," Smiley said. "But they should continue to do what we're doing, which is to focus our efforts on sending prayers and positive thoughts to those who are recovering at the hospital."

Brown University cancels remaining fall semester classes
All remaining undergraduate, graduate and medical classes, exams, papers and projects for the fall 2025 semester will not take place as scheduled, Brown University Provost Francis J. Doyle said in a statement today.

“This choice was made out of our profound concern for all students, faculty and staff on our campus,” Doyle said. “In the immediate aftermath of these devastating events, we recognize that learning and assessment are significantly hindered in the short term and that many students and others will wish to depart campus.”

Doyle said students are free to leave campus if they are able, but students who remain will have access to on-campus services and support.

“We know there will be many academic concerns about the implications of not holding classes and exams as scheduled,” the statement said. “We will follow up with more information in the coming days.”

The person of interest detained in connection with the Brown University shooting, identified by law enforcement sources as Benjamin Erickson, is a decorated soldier who had served in a position at Arlington National Cemetery, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Erickson, a 24-year-old Wisconsin native, served as an infantry soldier in the US Army, where he passed sniper training, had experience with firearms instruction and had served as a rifleman between 2021 and 2024, according to the profile.

Erickson also received a good conduct medal, participated in “security duties” near the president and assisted with funeral ceremonies at Arlington, the profile stated.

The LinkedIn page stated he planned to continue his college education at Brown University in the fall 2025 semester.

A spokesperson for the US Army said Erickson had no deployments and left last year with the rank of specialist. Brown University did not immediately respond to questions about Erickson’s record.

Authorities said the person of interest was not a current student at Brown, but law enforcement sources indicated to CNN that he might have been recently enrolled.

Erickson took online classes with a focus on psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after graduating from high school in July 2020, and then transferred to Brown for this fall semester after his military service ended, according to the profile, which noted a variety of interests including animal welfare, veteran support and helping the poor.

The profile further noted that he had interned as a carpenter and helped out at a horse rescue center.

A staff member at the rescue, the Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue in Maryland, told CNN that Erickson was part of an Army unit that learned horse handling techniques at the rescue center between 2023 and 2024. Erickson was training with the Caisson Detachment of the US Army’s 3d US Infantry Regiment, the staff member said – a unit that provides escorts for military and state funerals.

A high school yearbook included a photo of Erickson on his school’s wrestling team. A profile on X that appeared to belong to Erickson posted in 2016 and 2017 about wrestling, music and political satire.

One of Erickson’s former high school classmates, Bryce Jankowski, said he recently exchanged texts with Erickson, who said he was studying at Brown.

“He said he was doing good,” Jankowski said. “He said he was living at a hotel because his apartment flooded,” though he said that did not seem to bother him.

Jankowski described Erickson as a well-behaved, smart individual. He did not recall Erickson making any concerning statements, harboring extremist views or having any behavioral challenges. “He was wicked smart.”

After high school, he said Erickson had told him that he was in sniper school with the US military.

A former wrestling teammate from high school, who asked not to be quoted by name, described Erickson as a “pretty nice guy, he was quiet… he becomes really outgoing when you get to know him, but he’s pretty quiet when you don’t.”

A search of court databases showed no clear criminal history for Erickson aside from a 2023 case in which he was cited for driving on a sidewalk, a charge that was dismissed.

The person of interest detained in connection with Saturday’s deadly shooting at Brown University has been released, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said.

• Police are releasing the man who had been detained earlier Sunday because evidence “now points in a different direction,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said.

Officials did not have enough evidence to prosecute, police chief says
Officials had evidence, but not enough to prosecute anybody, Police Chief Oscar L. Perez, Jr. said Sunday night.

A tip had come in, Perez said, and the FBI “followed through with it, and they ended up coming and locating this individual of interest.”

That evidence was examined, and ultimately the person was released, he said.

The reversal is a normal part of the investigative process, said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

“I’ve been around long enough to know that sometimes you head in one direction and then you have to regroup and go in another and that’s exactly what has happened over the last 24 hours or so,” he said.

“It’s fair to say that there is no basis to consider him a person of interest,” said Neronha of the man who was detained. “So that’s why he’s being released.”

Brown says there is no immediate threat to university community after person of interest released
Brown University, in a Sunday night statement, said “there is no basis” to consider the released Wisconsin man a person of interest and that law enforcement agencies are continuing to investigate.

“Local police have advised they do not believe there is any immediate threat to Brown or the local community,” the statement read, noting there is still a “heightened amount” of local, state and federal police activity in the area.

“We know that this update may prompt numerous questions,” officials said, emphasizing that the investigation remains active and that the university is deferring to the Providence Police Department to release information.

“We continue to make every effort to ensure the safety and security of the campus. We are also advising every member of the Brown community to be vigilant in their own activities on campus,” the statement read.

Investigators need to start from square one, law enforcement analyst says
As the manhunt for a suspect in the Brown University shooting continues, following the release of a person of interest, authorities must now go back over all of the evidence.

“No investigation is perfect and you’re going to go through ups and downs,” CNN Law Enforcement Analyst and former FBI Special agent Steve Moore told Rosemary Church.

Moore said part of the solution now is to restart the investigation, because whatever led authorities to the person “was obviously an error.”

“So you pretty much have to throw out, not the evidence, but the conclusions from the evidence,” he said. “And you start, basically, as if you’re seeing the evidence for the first time and say ‘Where should this lead us?’”

Moore said it’s encouraging, however, that the shooter has not launched another attack –– and this should assure the community that there is no immediate threat.

“It would indicate to me that they didn’t have further plans for violence. So to me, it mitigates towards people having a reason to feel safer,” he said.

Investigators knocked on doors, combed through bushes and released more video and photos as they hunt for a masked gunman who opened fire at Brown University over the weekend, killing two students and wounding nine other people.

“It’s all hands on deck,” the Providence police chief, Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr., told reporters Monday evening.

Law enforcement is pleading with the public to help in the search, releasing additional images, requesting any new details or observations and offering a reward.

New videos of the suspected gunman shared Monday show a man in dark clothing walking in the vicinity of Hope Street between Manning and Benevolent streets.

He wore a beanie and a mask that obscured most of his face except for his eyes. In one video, he appeared to stroll casually with one hand tucked inside his pants pocket.

The FBI described him as having a stocky build and said he is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall. Officials believe the person responsible was a lone shooter.

In a post on X, university officials encouraged students who were in the building where the shooting occurred to contact local police.

“Even an incidental detail may be helpful,” the post read in part.

Everybody is scared'
Sophomore Jacklyn McLeary, who remained on campus after the shooting, said she has spent the last 48 hours inside with friends.

"Everybody is scared," she said. "We’ve been watching the news, and we’ve been trying to see if there’s any updates. And the fact that there’s still not anybody has really made us not want to do anything."

"There’s definitely a bit of frustration and a lot of fear," she added.

During a sometimes heated news conference Monday, FBI officials announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the gunman.

Investigators addressed pointed questions about why a person of interest was announced Sunday, only to be released hours later.

Investigators said Monday that the shooter “definitely targeted Brown University,” and they continue to hunt for a motive, Perez said. Asked whether the shooter yelled something during the attack, he said, “That’s something we’re investigating.”

“We took statements, and we have to confirm,” he told reporters.

Providence officials said there appears to be no threat to public safety or to the city. Still, an enhanced police presence was visible on campus and throughout Providence on Monday.

Security questions
Members of the Brown community ask questions about campus safety and communications before and after the deadly rampage at Barus & Holley, an engineering and physics building.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Sunday that there was a lack of security cameras near the unlocked classroom where the attack occurred. Inside, students studied for final exams and ducked for cover or barricaded themselves using furniture when shots rang out.

Investigators have said they do not know how the shooter got inside the first-floor classroom.

"I’m hopeful that the security, the cameras, everything about like the campus will feel safer," student Hudson Nguyen said.

A comparison between one of the guns found on the person of interest, who was detained but has been released, and the ballistics recovered at the scene did not match, two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter previously told NBC News.

Zoe Weissman, 20, one of at least two Brown students who has experienced multiple school shootings, said she feels safe returning to campus next semester. She attended Westglades Middle School, adjacent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a former student opened fire, killing 17 people, in 2018.

“In reality, if someone has a gun, there’s not much that’s going to stop them, and that’s why the issue lies with the guns, not with the security itself,” she said, adding that she hopes Brown adds additional security cameras and swiping of IDs at buildings.

“But really, I hope that they don’t take the stance of going full surveillance state and turning the school into a prison,” she said. “I don’t think that would help anyone

New person of interest identified days after another person of interest was released
The latest person of interest in the Brown University shooting was identified four days after authorities had to take an embarrassing step backward by releasing a man they had detained.

The man taken into custody Sunday morning at a Hampton Inn in Coventry, Rhode Island, was let go because there was “no basis” to consider that he was the shooter, authorities said.

The fruitless apprehension bore a resemblance to the slaying of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, when FBI Director Kash Patel declared that the "subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.” That statement had to be walked back 90 minutes later.

Authorities investigating rental car potentially linked to Brown, MIT professor shootings, sources say
Authorities are looking into whether the same rental vehicle was seen at Brown University around the time of that shooting and near the home of the MIT professor around the time of that shooting, three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News.

That’s one of the potential links investigators are probing to determine whether the two killings are connected, the officials said

The man taken into custody Sunday morning at a Hampton Inn in Coventry, Rhode Island, was let go because there was “no basis” to consider that he was the shooter, authorities said.

The fruitless apprehension bore a resemblance to the slaying of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, when FBI Director Kash Patel declared that the "subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.” That statement had to be walked back 90 minutes later.

• The suspect in the Brown University mass shooting was found dead tonight after taking his own life, Providence Chief of Police Oscar L. Perez, Jr. said.

• Claudio Valente, a 48-year-old former Brown University student and Portuguese national, was found at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, with a satchel, two firearms and evidence matching the crime scene, officials said. Investigators don’t know why the suspect targeted the university, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said.

• Valente was also responsible for the killing of an MIT professor at his Massachusetts home this week, US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said tonight.

Person who came to police with information ”blew this case right open,” attorney general says
The investigation into the Brown University shooting from the weekend relied on “threads” of information to get officials answers on the shooter’s wherabouts, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

A person who came to local police officers with information, Neronha said, “blew this case right open.”

“That person led us to the car, which led us to the name, which led us to the photographs of that individual renting the car, which matched the clothing of our shooter here in Providence that matched the satchel that we see here in Providence,” Neronha said.

Officials believe shooter acted alone, police chief says
The Brown University shooter acted alone in the attack which left two students dead and nine injured, Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr. said tonight at a news conference.

Questions remain even as suspect identified, Rhode Island attorney general says
While the suspect in the Brown University mass shooting was found dead tonight, questions surrounding the incident and motive still remain.

The reason why Brown University in particular was targeted “is a mystery,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said at a news conference.

“I don’t think we have any idea why now or why? Why Brown? Why these students? Why this classroom? That is really unknown to us and it may become clear,” he said. “I hope that it does, but it hasn’t as of right now.”

Brown shooting suspect swapped license plates, making it harder to find him, attorney general says
The suspect in the Brown University shooting changed the license plates on the rental car he was using, which made it more challenging for investigators to locate him, said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

“He knew what he was doing. He was changing plates. That’s why work of following and finding this car made it more difficult,” said Neronha at a news conference.
A witness had provided a license plate to authorities probing the Brown University shooting, who then investigated the car and its past drivers. This allowed them to identify the same vehicle of interest in the MIT professor killing.

Investigators then located the car in Salem, New Hampshire after a license plate reader flagged one of the plates that matched the car, two law enforcement officials told CNN.

Brown shooter fired over 44 rounds, started shooting as soon as he entered classroom, police say
The suspect in the Brown University shooting started shooting his firearm as soon as he entered the classroom and fired over 44 rounds, said Providence Police Chief Oscar L. Perez Jr.

“As soon as he entered, he started firing,” said the police chief.

All six survivors now in stable condition, mayor says
All six survivors of the Brown University shooting are now in stable condition, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said.

Yesterday, five victims were in stable condition and one person was in critical but stable condition.

Having unleashed a multiagency manhunt — involving the Providence police, the FBI and a $50,000 reward — the clue investigators needed in the Brown University shooting was ultimately found not on a street corner but in a Reddit thread.

Online tipsters have had a mixed record when it comes to providing information about mass casualty incidents. But Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said this Reddit user “blew the case wide open” after posting about their encounter on Saturday with the suspect.

I’m being dead serious,” wrote the Reddit user, identified in an affidavit as “John,” three days after the shootings at Brown. “The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental.”

In police interviews that followed, the Reddit user said he had bumped into the suspect in a bathroom inside the Barus Holley building at Brown and noticed his clothes were “inappropriate and inadequate” for the December New England weather, the affidavit said. John followed the suspect outside, leading to a “game of cat and mouse” that ended when the suspect confronted him and asked, “Why are you harassing me?”

Those details were pivotal to tracking down the suspect, later identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, who was found dead in a New Hampshire storage unit, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Neronha said.

“That person led us to the car, which led us to the name, which led us to the photographs of that individual renting the car, which matched the clothing of our shooter here in Providence, that matched the satchel,” the attorney general told a news conference.

Triggering this sequence of events was the Reddit post on Tuesday.

John responded to a thread in which a user had posted the FBI's Brown University shooting "seeking information" flyer that included photographs of the suspect and a reward offering as much as $50,000 for information on him.

“That was the car he was driving,” John said of the Nissan with Florida plates. “He used his key fob to open the car, approached it and then something prompted him to back away. When he backed away he relocked the car. I found that odd so when he circled the block I approached the car and that is when I saw the Florida plates.”

Told by another Reddit user, “I think you’re on to something,” he responded, “Thank you and respectfully I know I am.” He said he had been interviewed by Providence and Rhode Island State Police, “and I imagine the FBI were listening in another room.”

Before Valente was found dead, John added, “Let’s hope this” person of interest “is apprehended soon so the authorities can get to the bottom of this.”

A day after his first post, John approached Providence Police officers near Brown University Alumni Hall and said he wanted to speak with them, the affidavit said. He voluntarily accompanied them to the police station where he gave an interview.

John told them about the bathroom encounter four days earlier, “involved John locking eyes with the suspect,” after which he followed him into the parking lot, the affidavit said. During their cat-and-mouse game, John asked why the man kept on “circling the block?” To which the man replied, “I don’t know you from anybody.”

When detectives showed John two security images of the suspect's car, he replied, “Holy s---. That might be it,” the affidavit said. Through that footage, police were able to track the car to the home of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, and the New Hampshire storage lock-up where Valente was found dead.

Loureiro was found shot to death in his Boston-area home days after the Brown shooting.

John posted on Reddit that he won't be saying more publicly.

“Respectfully, I have said all I have to say on the matter to the right people,” he posted to Reddit.

Authorities say he may be eligible for the $50,000 reward.