Brown University shooting ‘person of interest’ arrested after 2 killed, 9 wounded
A “person of interest” linked to the Brown University mass shooting has been taken into custody after an intense 11-hour manhunt, as witnesses reported that the suspect yelled something moments before gunfire erupted.
The shooting left two students dead and nine others injured during a final exam study session on campus.
According to witnesses, the shooter shouted something just before opening fire, though no one has been able to clearly identify what was said. Investigators say they are still working to determine the exact words spoken by the gunman.
Authorities also disclosed that the suspect was carrying a firearm with distinctive features, which helped law enforcement connect him to the deadly incident, NBC News reported.
Officials have not confirmed whether the suspect had any direct ties to the prestigious university in Providence, Rhode Island.
The shelter-in-place order issued for the Ivy League campus has since been lifted, and the university has canceled all remaining final exams.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said Sunday morning that one victim remains in critical condition, seven others are listed as stable, and one person has already been released from the hospital.
The person of interest was apprehended around 3:45 a.m. following significant police activity at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, a location authorities said was “connected” to Saturday’s shooting.
Providence Police Department Chief Col. Oscar Perez stated during a press briefing that investigators are not actively searching for any additional suspects at this time.
Few details have been released about the individual taken into custody, and it remains unclear whether he was affiliated with Brown University in any capacity.
As of Sunday morning, a strong police presence remains, with restricted access to Minden Hall and nearby residential buildings. “The people of Providence should breathe a little easier this morning,” Mayor Smiley said.
The shooting occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. during a final exam review session at the private university.
“All of a sudden, we heard gunshots and people screaming,” said Joseph Oduro, the teaching assistant who led the review session, in an interview with the New York Times.
Oduro said he had just begun saying goodbye to students shortly after 4 p.m. when the gunman suddenly entered the lecture hall inside an engineering building. He took cover with around 20 others, including an injured student, hiding behind a desk.
He recalled hearing the shooter yell something he could not understand.
“That’s what the students and I — and the detectives — have been trying to piece together,” Oduro explained.
Based on the lecture hall’s layout, Oduro noted that students seated in the middle rows were the most vulnerable.
“The students in the middle were impacted the most,” he said. “Many of them were lying there and they were not moving. I have no idea how many.”
Authorities have not released the identities of the victims, and it is still unknown how many of those affected were students.
Video footage of the alleged shooter was released Saturday night, showing the suspect leaving an academic building and stepping onto Hope Street.
Police described the suspect as “a male, dressed in black,” and possibly in his 30s, according to Providence Police Deputy Chief Tim O’Hara.
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