(The Hill) — The mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, is asking the FBI to issue a reward to the anonymous Reddit user whose tip led authorities to the suspected gunman in last week’s Brown University shooting.
The FBI offered a reward of up to $50,000 for any information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the individual responsible for the deadly incident.
Mayor Brett Smiley advocated for the full payout on behalf of the tipster, a reportedly homeless man identified only as “John,” in a letter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel and obtained by NewsNation affiliate WPRI.
“John is no less than a hero,” wrote Smiley, a Democrat. “His bravery, selflessness and stewardship on behalf of his community went far beyond what anyone could ever hope from a tip.
“I believe that our community is breathing easier today because of the extraordinary assistance John provided to our law enforcement agencies. I am writing to you today to request that the entirety of the $50,000 reward be issued to this incredible Providence neighbor.”
As of Monday morning, the mayor’s office says it hasn’t received a response to the letter.
“As a standard practice, the FBI does not disclose whether a reward has been paid or to whom,” the FBI told NewsNation in a statement.
In the Reddit post, the user led local law enforcement to search for a grey Nissan with Florida plates. He said he witnessed a man unlock the car with a key fob, approach the vehicle and then abruptly back away.
“When he backed away, he relocked the car. I found that odd — so when he circled the block, I approached the car and that is when I saw the Florida plates,” the user wrote.
Following a dayslong manhunt, authorities said suspected gunman Claudio Neves Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a New Hampshire storage facility.
Two students were killed and several others were injured in the Dec. 13 shooting at Brown University.
An initial person of interest was detained and later released after the FBI said it lacked sufficient evidence to hold them. The Trump administration faced scrutiny over the delay in finding a suspect.
President Donald Trump denounced the criticism and blamed local law enforcement and the university’s security cameras.
Officials have yet to determine a motive for the shooting. The 48-year-old suspect, who previously studied at Brown, was also tied to another shooting days later, in which an MIT professor was shot and killed.
The Trump administration, in response to the shootings, suspended the green card lottery program, which was reportedly used by Neves Valente, a native of Portugal, to enter the United States.