Family of individual misidentified as Brown University person of interest speaks up
The mother of a man wrongly identified as Brown University person of interest Benjamin Robinson said her family received numerous calls
On Sunday, a 24-year-old was identified as the person of interest in the shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island on Saturday. However, he was released within hours, police said.
Notably, he was identified by NBC News and the Washington Post, citing sources. No official word from law enforcement was issued identifying the person of interest, a Wisconsin resident.
However, internet sleuths dug up Benjamin Erickson, and while they are often right, in this instance it turned out to be a blunder. Many prominent news portals, including the Daily Mail, shared the LinkedIn profile of an individual named Benjamin Erickson, who was not the person of interest in the shooting, but merely shared the same name.
The family of the misidentified Benjamin Erickson issued a statement revealing that they have received a slew of calls inquiring about Benjamin Erickson. Among the callers were also the Wall Street Journal, Kathy Erickson, the misidentified individual's mother said on Facebook. Later, CNN published the photo of actual Benjamin Erickson from his LinkedIn profile.
"Our hearts go out to the victims of the shooting in Rhode Island over the weekend," Kathy Erickson wrote. "We certainly didn’t expect the suspect to share the name of our son! Makes me pause and say a prayer for his parents who must be devastated. Ben actually got a call from the Wall Street Journal a few minutes ago.
“He’s living here with us in St. Louis but was living in Milwaukee so has a Wisconsin phone number. Crazy!”
What We Know About The Released Person Of Interest
Erickson was taken into custody at 3:45 a.m. on Sunday from a hotel in Coventry County, Rhode Island. Police found a handgun and a pistol with two fully loaded magazines in his possession. FBI Director Kash Patel revealed in X that he was tracked down using geolocation data from his phone.
Also read: Benjamin Erickson: Brown University suspect's alleged photos, social media profiles surface
After his arrest, more details on the 24-year-old suspect surfaced. The US Army confirmed that he served as an infantry soldier and passed sniper training, with extensive experience with firearms. He had served as a rifleman between 2021 and 2024. His LinkedIn profile revealed that he had graduated in May 2025 and planned to continue his education at Brown University.
