Police in the US state of Rhode Island have resumed a manhunt following a deadly shooting at Brown University after authorities released a previously detained “person of interest” and said the investigation had taken a new turn. Officials now say the evidence no longer supports holding the individual, and that attention has shifted in a different direction.
At a Sunday evening news conference, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said investigators found no basis to continue treating the detained person as a suspect, adding that emerging evidence pointed elsewhere. Providence Police Chief Colonel Oscar Perez confirmed that the individual was not believed to be the person seen in surveillance footage released after the attack. Police later announced on social media that the person of interest had been released.
The shooting occurred on Saturday afternoon at the Holley Engineering Building on Brown’s campus in Providence, where a gunman opened fire inside a classroom. Two people were killed and nine others wounded in the attack. Authorities said the suspect was captured on CCTV footage walking away from the scene dressed entirely in black.
Earlier on Sunday, FBI Director Kash Patel had announced that a person of interest was detained at a hotel in the nearby town of Coventry based on an initial lead. At that time, police indicated they were not actively seeking anyone else. However, investigators later clarified that detentions and exclusions are a normal part of major criminal inquiries.
Officials say they are now seeking additional video evidence to help identify and locate the suspect. No arrests have been made, and police have not released details about a possible motive.
City officials provided updates on the victims, saying one injured person remains in critical condition, several others are stable, and one has been discharged from hospital. Brown University President Christina Paxson confirmed that all those killed and injured were students. Their identities have not yet been publicly released.
In response to the shooting, large sections of the campus remained restricted as investigations continued. About 2,000 students were relocated overnight to safe locations, with local residents opening their homes to those displaced. Paxson said the university was supporting the families of the two students who were killed and described the response from the community as deeply moving.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said a citywide shelter-in-place order had been lifted and noted that he had met victims and their families in hospital, praising their strength and resilience. A vigil was planned for Sunday evening to honour those affected.
President Donald Trump also commented on the incident, offering condolences to the families of those killed and wishing a swift recovery to the injured students.
The attack adds to a growing number of mass shootings in the United States this year. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the country has recorded hundreds of such incidents in 2025, defined as shootings in which four or more people are killed or injured, excluding the attacker.
