Authorities hold person of interest after Brown University shooting leaves two dead
Dec 15, 2025
Rhode Island [US], December 15: Authorities detained a "person of interest" who was found in a Rhode Island hotel after the Brown University shooting that left two students dead and nine wounded at the Ivy League school as students took exams before winter break, authorities said on Sunday.
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said at a midday news conference that the suspect was in his 20s, but declined to share other details, citing an ongoing investigation. Perez said earlier in the day that authorities were not seeking other suspects at this time.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X that the person of interest had been detained in a hotel room in the Rhode Island town of Coventry, a 30-minute drive from the Brown campus.
An FBI team specializing in cellular data analysis used geolocation information to track the suspect, Patel said.
The mass shooting - the latest of nearly 400 in the U.S. this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive - shook the community at the university, one of the oldest in the United States.
The school canceled exams and classes for the rest of the year and the campus was quiet on Sunday as a light snowfall blanketed the city.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said that authorities, as of midday on Sunday, had not yet contacted all family members because some were traveling. He invited residents to a previously planned event on Sunday to light a Christmas tree and a menorah to mark the first night of Hanukkah.
"It is quite clear that if we can come together as a community and shine a little bit of light tonight, I think there's nothing better that we could be doing," Smiley said.
Seven people injured at Brown University were in stable condition, Smiley said. One remained in critical but stable condition, while another had been discharged, he added.
Shelter-in-place orders at the university and nearby areas were lifted on Sunday. Smiley said earlier in the day that residents should expect a visible police presence across the city.
The gunman fled after shooting students in a classroom in Brown's Barus & Holley engineering and physics building, where outer doors had been unlocked while exams were taking place, officials said on Saturday.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation
