The authorities in Rhode Island announced on Sunday evening (December 14th) that a man detained earlier in connection with the fatal shooting incident at Brown University has been released. Officials stated that law enforcement agencies have determined that there is no evidence to continue considering this man as a suspect, as the related evidence “points in a different direction.”
Officials warned that in the campus shooting incident that left 2 students dead and 9 injured, there are currently no suspects in the case. The real perpetrator is still at large.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said at a late-night press conference that after reexamining the evidence in the past 24 hours, it was confirmed that there was “no basis” to consider the man as a person of interest, and thus the decision was made to release him.
Neronha stated, “I have been in this profession long enough to know that sometimes you move in one direction, and then you must regroup and shift to another direction, and that is what happened in the last approximately 24 hours.”
Referring to the man who was previously detained, Neronha mentioned, “It can be said that there is no basis to consider him as a person of interest… that’s why he has been released.”
He candidly mentioned that currently “there is still a murderer out there,” and the investigation will continue.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley also acknowledged, “This news is likely to cause anxiety in our community once again.”
Despite increased police presence around Brown University, officials do not recommend issuing another shelter-in-place order. Following the shooting incident on Saturday afternoon, hundreds of officers were deployed to search for the shooter, and students and faculty were advised to shelter-in-place. The lockdown lasted into the night and was lifted on Sunday morning.
The authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the crime.
On Sunday morning, officials detained a person of interest at a Hampton Inn in Coventry, Rhode Island, approximately 20 miles from Providence. Two informed individuals confirmed that this person is a 24-year-old man from Wisconsin, but his name was never made public.
Police Chief Oscar L. Perez, Jr. indicated that the police did act based on tips and some evidence, but the related evidence was not enough to support charges.
The shooting incident occurred on Saturday afternoon during finals week. The gunman opened fire in a classroom in the engineering building, resulting in 2 student deaths and 9 injuries. The university subsequently canceled all remaining courses, exams, reports, and projects for the semester and allowed students to leave campus.
Law enforcement officers mentioned that they are intensifying efforts to collect and compare surveillance footage in hopes of confirming the shooter’s identity. The surveillance footage released by the police shows a suspect in dark clothing walking away from the scene, but the face is not clearly captured, and the identity remains unconfirmed.
On Sunday evening, municipal officials and residents held a vigil in a local park to mourn the slain students and show support for the injured.
Smiley shared that he visited some of the injured students and was inspired by their courage, hope, and gratitude. One person told him that the active shooter drill they had in high school was very helpful.
He said, “The resilience these survivors have shown and shared with me is truly remarkable.”