The search continued Monday for the gunman who killed two Brown University students and wounded nine others, as investigators acknowledged early missteps and the campus began confronting the aftermath of the deadliest shooting in the school’s history.
“We are continuing this investigation with urgency and care,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said. “There is no one in custody, and there is no basis to consider the individual previously detained as a person of interest.”
Providence police confirmed the man briefly held Sunday was released after evidence pointed elsewhere. Authorities resumed a wide-ranging manhunt, canvassing neighborhoods near campus and urging residents and businesses to review security footage that could help identify the suspect, who was last seen walking away from the university shortly after the attack.
The shooting occurred on Saturday afternoon inside the Barus and Holley engineering building during an economics review session ahead of final exams. A masked gunman entered the lecture hall, shouted something witnesses could not recall, and opened fire. Students ducked beneath desks, scrambled for exits, or were struck as they tried to escape.
By the time the campus lockdown was lifted early Sunday morning, two students were dead and nine others were hospitalized, one in critical condition.
The victims were identified as Muhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, a first-year student originally from Uzbekistan, and Ella Cook, a sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama. University officials said families were being supported as classmates and faculty gathered at vigils across Providence.
Surveillance video released by police shows a figure dressed in dark clothing walking away from campus, but investigators said the footage does not reveal the suspect’s face or a visible weapon. Officials confirmed the engineering building had unlocked exterior doors at the time of the shooting, though classrooms used for exams typically require badge access. Investigators said they are still determining how the gunman entered the lecture hall.
The decision to announce a person of interest and later reverse course deepened anxiety among students and parents. University leaders acknowledged the confusion but said communication would continue as authorities move forward with the investigation.
Brown University canceled all remaining in-person exams and classes for the semester and increased security patrols with assistance from local, state, and federal agencies.
About 2,000 students were relocated overnight during the lockdown, and many left campus once transportation resumed. Nearby colleges and schools across New England also tightened security or canceled classes as a precaution.
Students who remained described being evacuated from libraries and academic buildings by armed officers, ordered to raise their hands and leave belongings behind as rooms were cleared one by one. University officials said counseling and mental health services were being expanded to address the trauma.
Mayor Brett Smiley said the city had received no credible or specific threats beyond the initial attack but acknowledged the unease gripping the community as the suspect remains at large.
“We understand how shaken people are,” Smiley said. “This investigation is ongoing, and we will continue to share information as it becomes available.”