What we know
- A manhunt is underway after two people were killed and nine others were wounded in a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday.
- Officials released new photos and videos of a person of interest this evening. A man detained over the weekend was released because the evidence no longer supported holding him, officials said.
- One of the victims was Ella Cook, vice president of the Brown College Republicans chapter. The other was Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, from Uzbekistan, in central Asia.
- Officials have emphasized that the investigation is moving quickly, with evidence being collected by multiple agencies, but they are not yet confirming details that could compromise the case.
- Brown has canceled its remaining fall semester classes, and the shooting has reignited the debate over gun control and how to protect college students before and during mass shootings.
With manhunt in its third day, fear and frustration grow
Investigators knocked on doors, combed through bushes and released more video and photos as they hunt for a masked gunman who opened fire at Brown University over the weekend, killing two students and wounding nine others.
“It’s all hands on deck,” the Providence police chief, Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr., told reporters this evening.
“We’re at the 49th hour, and there’s no one that wants to put this individual in handcuffs more than us,” he said.
R.I. governor asks for review of school safety plan following Brown shooting
Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee said today he was asking for a review of safety and security plans for schools in the wake of the shooting.
McKee said he asked Commissioner of Postsecondary Education Shannon Gilkey and Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Angelica Infante-Green to conduct a review. It covers K-12 and secondary education.
"As a parent who has sent my children off to college — I can only imagine how families are feeling right now," McKee wrote in a statement on X. "And I assure you: The safety and wellbeing of your children and all Rhode Islanders are my priority."
Brown asks community to be vigilant and to speak to police
As the search for the Brown University shooter continues, the Ivy League institution asked members of the community to be vigilant — and requested that those inside the building where the shooting occurred contact authorities.
"We ask that anyone who was in the Barus & Holley building on Friday or Saturday, Dec. 12-13, immediately contact the Providence police to arrange for an interview,” Brown’s public safety department said in a notice.
“Even what seems like an incidental detail may ultimately be helpful in law enforcement’s efforts to protect our community,” it said.
Access to university buildings will be restricted, the department said.
The public safety department also said it has seen an increase in hoax “swatting” calls since the shooting. The illegal practice is when people deliberately report threats to provoke police responses.
9 mm handgun was used in shooting, police chief says
The Brown University shooter used a 9 mm handgun, said the Providence police chief, Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr.
The manhunt is in its third day, and investigators are trying to identify and apprehend the shooter.
“Every minute counts,” Perez said at a news conference.
‘We can’t wait to put handcuffs on that person,’ police chief says
The Providence police chief said tonight that he is hopeful that new photos and video released today lead to the identification of a person of interest in the shooting.
“I’m hoping that based on the images and video that we just released that someone is going to be able to identify this individual,” said the chief, Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr.
The investigation is more than 50 hours in, and police have been joined by state police and federal agencies in the search for the killer. A person who had been detained was released after it was determined he was not a person of interest, officials said.
“When you investigate something, it takes different directions,” Perez said.
Perez said his officers and detectives are dedicated and committed to finding the shooter.
“We can’t wait to put handcuffs on that person,” Perez said, and he urged the shooter to turn himself in.
Shooter 'definitely targeted Brown University,' police say
The shooter “definitely targeted Brown University,” and investigators are looking into a possible motive, the Providence police chief said today.
“Obviously, it’s something we’re looking into, as far as if there was anything else that he was targeting,” the chief, Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr., said at a news conference.
The cooperation of victims and their families “has been extremely helpful,” he said.
Asked whether the shooter yelled something, Perez replied, “That’s something we’re investigating.”
“We took statements, and we have to confirm,” he said.
Providence police share video, photos of person of interest
Providence police shared videos and photos on social media of a person of interest in the campus shooting. The images were captured about two hours before Saturday's shooting, police said at an afternoon conference where they were first shared with the public.
'We don’t want him to end up being a number': Victim's sister remembers his big dreams
Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov's sisters spent hours trying to reach their brother after they learned about the on-campus shooting. They reached out to his friends on Instagram to see wheteher they knew where he was, Rukhsora Umurzokova, 22, his older sister, told NBC News.
“We realized that we were looking at the news and reading two people dead and eight people shot without even realizing that we’re, like, reading this about our brother,” she said. “We didn’t even know. We don’t want him to end up being a number. We want everyone to see his face. We want everyone to know his name.”
She learned around midnight that her younger brother had joined a friend for a review session, even though Umurzokov wasn’t in the class. They called hospitals and the university hotline, and eventually the school’s vice president called her back, she said.
“This was around, like, 2:30 a.m. in the morning, and they informed me that my brother was killed,” Rukhsora Umurzokova said.
Her parents had left that morning for a family trip for Umrah in Saudi Arabia. Once they learned the news, they immediately changed their plans and boarded a flight to New York. Rukhsora Umurzokova said she has yet to see her parents, who drove straight to Rhode Island this morning to take their son home to Virginia for an Islamic burial.
Growing up, her brother was always pegged as the smart one in the family, she said. She remembered him memorizing different types of dinosaurs, countries and capitals. He grew up to become a dedicated student who took numerous Advanced Placement courses and was involved in extracurricular activities.
“We always joked, like, oh, he’s the smartest,” she said. “He has, like, the biggest head. ... He just loved learning.”
He wanted to become a neurosurgeon, inspired by the doctor who operated on him as a child, Rukhsora Umurzokova said. Her brother had fluid build-up in his brain that sometimes impaired his ability to walk.
“All he wanted was just like, ‘I want to be a doctor. I want to help people,’” she said. “That was his life goal, life dream.”
Rukhsora Umurzokova’s brother had a “huge personality” and could talk to anyone for hours. He was a young man with big ambitions who was excited to see his 5-month-old niece over break and celebrate Eid al-Fitr in a few months.
“It’s just scary knowing that someone who was so happy and, like, just basically just disappeared, just in one second, almost,” she said.
New videos and photos released in search for gunman
Providence police today released new videos and photos of the person believed to have opened fire at Brown University.
The videos and photos, recorded a few hours before the shooting, show a man dressed in black on Hope and Manning streets and on Benevolent Street.
“It’s all hands on deck,” the Providence police chief, Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr., said at a news conference this afternoon. State police and federal agencies are also assisting in the search.
Authorities asked people in Rhode Island and beyond to review the new videos and photos and to call police if they have any information.
“Everything that is physically possible is being done,” Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee said.
The FBI today announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the gunman.
Sandy Hook mom calls Brown University shooting ‘unacceptable’
Nicole Hockley, who lost her son in the Sandy Hook massacre, called the Brown University shooting “unacceptable.” Hockley shared signs and action steps that can be taken to intervene before violence occurs.
