Authorities renewed their search on Sunday for the gunman who killed two students and wounded nine others at Brown University, after investigators released a previously detained “person of interest” and acknowledged the case had shifted direction.
At an evening press conference, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said there was “no basis” to hold the individual, adding that evidence now points elsewhere. Police declined to explain why the person was initially detained, and said they were no longer naming him publicly.
The attack unfolded Saturday afternoon in a classroom at the Holley Engineering Building, where students were gathered during exam preparations. The gunman opened fire shortly after 4 p.m. and fled on foot. Surveillance footage captured a figure dressed in black leaving the building, but investigators say the suspect’s identity and motive remain unknown.
The two students killed were identified as Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov. Cook, a member of the Brown College Republicans, was remembered by her peers as bold and generous. Umurzokov, a citizen of Uzbekistan, was described by relatives as an aspiring neurosurgeon with a “bright future.” Nine others were injured, one critically, according to Providence officials.
Federal and state agencies are now combing through video footage and leads. FBI Director Kash Patel said agents were conducting a “24/7 campaign” to bring the suspect to justice. Local police confirmed there is no immediate threat to the campus or surrounding community, though portions of the university remain restricted.
Brown University canceled all remaining in-person classes and exams for the semester. About 2,000 students were relocated overnight as officers conducted searches building by building. President Christina Paxson said families of the victims were receiving ongoing support, adding, “There are not enough words of comfort for families who lose a child.”
Expressions of grief poured in from around the world. The White House offered condolences, while the U.S. ambassador to Uzbekistan said he was “deeply saddened” by Umurzokov’s death. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said he had visited victims in hospital and was struck by their resilience.
On Sunday evening, students and residents gathered for a candlelight vigil near campus, holding signs and flowers as names were read aloud. The shelter-in-place order was lifted earlier in the day, but the sense of shock lingered.
The shooting adds to a grim national tally: at least 389 mass shootings in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. For Brown, a campus known for its quiet intensity and academic calm, the violence has left an enduring rupture — and a community waiting for answers.
