Police release video tracking man wanted in Brown University shooting

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (NewsNation) — Police in Providence, Rhode Island, have released additional videos and photos of an unidentified person of interest — along with a timeline of his movements — as the search continues for the gunman who opened fire at Brown University over the weekend in what authorities describe as a targeted attack.

The shooting left two students dead and nine others injured. During a press briefing, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said that among the survivors, one patient remains in critical condition, five are critical but stable, one is in stable condition, and the two others who were injured have been discharged.

Providence Police Col. Oscar Perez says authorities learned Saturday night the man was “in the neighborhood” at 10:30 a.m. on the day of the shooting. Criminals often case their targets in the days or even weeks before an attack, he notes.

“What I can tell you is that this individual definitely targeted Brown University, because clearly we’re here speaking about that,” said Perez. “I can also tell you that obviously it’s something that we’re looking into — as far as if there was anything else that he was targeting, but it’s all open.”

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha urged patience, describing the investigation as complex.

“Some of them you pull, and the garment doesn’t open up, and other ones you pull and the garment comes undone,” he said. “I think when you go out and get a better image of the person’s face, that can only help the public help us identify this person.”

FBI releases footage tracking Brown U. person of interest’s movements

New video of the unidentified person of interest keeps coming from authorities after they released an initial person of interest from custody due to a lack of evidence.

FBI Boston, in collaboration with the Providence Police Department, released a video timeline of the movements of the person of interest on the day of the shooting, then deleted it and released another version.

The time codes begin at 2 p.m. Saturday and conclude at 4:06 p.m. The individual shown in the videos can be seen walking on Manning Street, Cooke Street, George Street, Hope Street and Benevolent Street.

Providence police also released an enhanced version of a video they previously released Monday of the person of interest walking near Hope and Waterman streets at 2 p.m.

In a post on social media platform X, Providence police released a new image of the person of interest on Tuesday.

The image shows a person in a dark green and gray jacket wearing a black bag, a black face mask and dark pants and shoes, similar to the video released Monday.

Newly released video footage shows the potential suspect in the areas of nearby Hope and Waterman Streets as early as around 2 p.m. on Saturday; the first 911 call about the shooting came in just after 4 p.m.

In one video, an individual donning a dark green and gray jacket, dark shoes, dark pants, a dark beanie and a dark face mask walks down a sidewalk on Benevolent Street before pausing, looking around and slowly heading back in the direction they came. In two other videos, the individual walks across a road on Cooke Street and walks down a sidewalk past a gated building on Manning Street. 

The two photos show the man with a mask covering most of his face.

During a press conference on Monday, police showed three new videos of a person sought in connection with the shooting. The footage is timestamped between 2:52 p.m. and 2:53 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12 — around an hour and a half before Brown issued its first emergency alert.

Providence schools were open Tuesday, though officials said residents can expect a heavy police presence during drop-offs and across the university campus, where all remaining in-person exams have been canceled.

Social media speculation on man wanted in Brown University shooting

Brown University released a statement regarding “harmful doxxing” directed toward a student:

“In the aftermath of the shooting, we’ve seen harmful doxxing activity directed toward at least one member of the Brown University community. It’s important to make clear that targeting individuals could do irrevocable harm. Accusations, speculation and conspiracies we’re seeing on social media and in some news reports are irresponsible, harmful, and in some cases dangerous for the safety of individuals in our community. It is not unusual as a safety measure to take steps to protect an individual’s safety when this kind of activity happens, including in regard to their online presence. As law enforcement officials stated clearly on Tuesday afternoon, if this individual’s name had any relevance to the current investigation, they would be actively looking for this individual and providing information publicly.”

Brown University President Paxson was asked directly about why pages connected to this student were scrubbed from the website. She admitted she did not know about any pages being taken down.

Neronha gave a forceful response when asked about speculation circulating on social media regarding a specific individual.

“This is an area where caution is really necessary,” he said, adding, “This is a really dangerous road to go down. Really dangerous. … I would leave it to us to identify persons of interest and let us run them down.”

Neronha also said the public shouldn’t read anything into webpages being taken down on Brown’s website and that investigators would be telling the public they are looking for a specific individual if that was the case.

He also said there are conflicting comments from witnesses about whether the gunman yelled anything during the attack, but no evidence collected so far “indicates any kind of motive related to ethnicity or political outlook or culture. There’s nothing at all that we know right now about that.”

Officials also indicated there is no evidence one of those killed, Ella Cook, was specifically targeted, and no evidence of a connection between the Brown shooting and the murder of an MIT professor late Monday.

2 Brown University students killed ID’d

Shooting victim Ella Cook was a sophomore from Alabama and served as vice president of Brown University’s College Republicans.

“Ella was known for her bold, brave, and kind heart as she served her chapter and her fellow classmates,” the group said in a statement.

Cathedral Church of the Advent in Alabama said Cook was a longtime parishioner and described her as “a tremendous light and such a witness.”

The second victim was identified as Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov.

“Mukhammad Aziz was known for his sharp intellect, kind heart, and quiet willingness to help anyone in need,” the American Uzbekistan Association said. “He carried himself with humility and compassion.”

U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Jonathan Henick called Umurzokov’s death tragic and said he was deeply saddened by the loss.

FBI offering $50K reward in Brown University shooting

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the shooter. The FBI said the man they are seeking is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and has a stocky build.

Police are asking anyone with security cameras near Hope and Waterman streets to review their footage. Investigators also want to speak with anyone who was inside the Barus & Holley building on Dec. 12 or Dec. 13.

Anyone with information is asked to email ppdtips@providenceri.gov.

NewsNation affiliate WPRI contributed to this report.