Authorities released a “person of interest” in the Brown University mass shooting that killed two students and injured nine others, revealing how inadequate campus security allowed a gunman to enter an unlocked engineering building during finals week.
Story Snapshot
- Two students killed, nine injured in Saturday shooting at Brown University’s engineering building
- Person of interest detained then released as investigation shifts direction
- FBI used cellular tracking technology to locate suspect in nearby hotel
- Campus doors left unlocked during exams, raising serious security concerns
Investigation Takes Unexpected Turn
Providence police released a man in his twenties who had been detained as a person of interest in the Brown University shooting that claimed two lives and wounded nine students.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced the release during a late Sunday press conference, stating the investigation was moving in a “different direction.” Officials provided no explanation for the initial detention, citing only a “quantum of evidence” that justified holding the individual.
🚨 MAJOR BREAKING: Person of interest detained in Brown University shooting is being RELEASED without charges — gunman STILL at large!
What the hell is going on in Providence?! Total incompetence pic.twitter.com/kYNVqBK1br
— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) December 15, 2025
Advanced FBI Tracking Leads to Dead End
FBI Director Kash Patel revealed that specialized cellular data analysis teams used geolocation technology to track the person of interest to a Coventry hotel room, thirty minutes from campus.
The sophisticated tracking operation demonstrated federal law enforcement capabilities but ultimately failed to identify the actual perpetrator. Authorities now focus on surveillance footage showing an unidentified individual dressed in black near the engineering building, though officials remain uncertain whether the suspect wore a mask.
Campus Security Failures Expose Vulnerability
The gunman exploited unlocked exterior doors at Brown’s Barus & Holley engineering and physics building to access classrooms where students were taking final examinations. This security lapse allowed the attacker to target victims in what should have been a controlled academic environment.
Teaching assistant Joseph Oduro described bullets striking the chalkboard where he had been standing moments earlier, emphasizing how proper security protocols might have prevented the tragedy.
Community Struggles With Latest Mass Violence
The Brown University attack represents the nearly 400th mass shooting in America this year, according to Gun Violence Archive data. Seven injured students remained in stable condition while one victim required critical care treatment.
The university canceled remaining exams and classes for the year, leaving the historic Ivy League campus eerily quiet under Sunday’s snowfall. Graduate student Jack DiPrimio noted his concerning desensitization to lockdown procedures after experiencing multiple active-shooter drills throughout his academic career.
