(NewsNation) — Authorities did an about-face Sunday and said they were releasing the person of interest police took into custody overnight following Saturday’s deadly campus shooting at Brown University in Providence, R.I.
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said authorities had acted on a tip before tracking the individual to a hotel in the region. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said initially there was a “quantum of evidence which justified detaining this person as a person of interest” before further investigation indicated otherwise.
“I think it’s fair to say there is no basis to consider him a person of interest. So, that’s why he’s being released,” Neronha, who did not offer specifics, said at a news conference Sunday evening.
Two students were killed and nine others were wounded Saturday when a gunman opened fire in a classroom in an engineering building during final exams. The suspect, clad in dark clothing, slipped out an exit, prompting a lengthy security lockdown on campus as police searched for a suspect.
Perez said the investigation continues with help from federal authorities. He said surveillance video authorities released Saturday of the shooting suspect still represents the person police are looking for. The gunman is described as a male wearing all black clothing.
A bouquet of flowers rests on snow, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, on the campus of Brown University not far from where a shooting took place, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) 
A police vehicle is parked at an intersection near crime scene tape at Brown University, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Providence, R.I., following a Saturday shooting at the university. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) 
A dark-clad figure walks out of an engineering building in this screen grab from surveillance video; police say this is a person of interest in Saturday’s deadly shooting. (Providence, R.I.) 
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND DECEMBER 13: Emergency responders work at the scene near Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on December 13, 2025, following a mass shooting that left at least two people dead and eight others injured. Authorities said police launched a search for the suspect, who remained at large, while campus officials urged students and staff to shelter in place as the investigation continued. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images) 
Emergency vehicles at the scene of a reported active shooter situation at Brown University in Providence, R.I.
“We know that this is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said of the latest development. “We want to reiterate what we said earlier, which remains true, which is ever since the initial call, now a day and a half ago, we have not received any credible or specific threats to the Providence community.”
Smiley said there would be an enhanced police presence in Providence and across the Brown University campus. Police, he said, would be canvassing the area around the shooting site looking for additional video, including footage that may have been captured by doorbell cameras.
Anyone with information on the case can submit tips at fbi.gov/brownuniversityshooting.