Police to release person of interest in Brown University shooting probe; ‘likely to cause anxiety’
Authorities late on Sunday said a person of interest detained in connection with the deadly shooting at Brown University will be released
Authorities late on Sunday said a person of interest detained in connection with the deadly shooting at Brown University will be released, after investigators determined the case had taken them in a ‘different direction’. This comes more than 12 hours after officials initially said they had taken someone into custody.
With that individual now being released and no charges filed, law enforcement acknowledged that the person responsible for the attack may still be at large. “We know that this is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said.
The shooting unfolded Saturday afternoon as final exams were underway. A gunman opened fire inside a first-floor classroom in the Barus & Holley building.
The Associated Press cited law enforcement sources to report that more than 40 rounds were fired from a 9 mm handgun. Two firearms, including one equipped with a laser sight, along with two loaded 30-round magazines, were later recovered when the person of interest was detained.
Brown University has since canceled all remaining classes, exams, papers, and projects for the semester and told students they could leave campus. University President Christina Paxson became emotional while recounting her conversations with students on campus and those hospitalized after the shooting. “They are amazing and they’re supporting each other,” she said at a news conference. “There’s just a lot of gratitude.”
Of the nine people injured, Paxson said one student had been released from the hospital. Seven others were listed in critical but stable condition, while one remained in critical condition.
Durham Academy, a private K-12 school in North Carolina, confirmed that a recent graduate, Kendall Turner, was among the wounded and remained critically injured. “Our school community is rallying around Kendall, her classmates, and her loved ones, and we will continue to offer our full support in the days ahead,” the school said.
On Sunday morning, authorities had taken into custody an individual identified by two people familiar with the investigation as a 24-year-old man from Wisconsin. His name was never released.
Attorney General Peter Neronha described the shift in the investigation, saying, “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.” Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said no one has been charged and declined to say whether the detained individual had any connection to Brown University.
(With AP inputs)
