SECOND UPDATE – 12/19/25:
Brown University Shooting Victims Update
All victims injured in the Dec. 13 shooting at Brown University are no longer in critical condition, Brown University Health shared Thursday afternoon.
Nine victims were originally brought to Rhode Island Hospital to be treated. Brown University President Christina Paxson said Sunday that seven of the injured victims were in critical but stable condition while one remained in critical condition.
Three victims have since been discharged from the hospital and the remaining six victims are now stable.
ARTICLE UPDATE – 12/19/25:
Brown University Shooting Suspect Found Dead
Authorities have identified the person they say killed two students and injured nine others in a shooting at Brown University. Click here for the full story.
The suspect, 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, a former Brown student, was found dead in a storage unit in Salem, N.H., Thursday night.
Law enforcement officials say Valente also shot and killed MIT professor Nuno Loureiro in his home on Monday night.
ARTICLE UPDATE – 12/18/25:
Multiple sources familiar with the investigation say the person of interest in the deadly Brown University shooting has been identified, and officials are searching for that individual.
The sources also said law enforcement are investigating potential ties between the mass shooting and the murder of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro.
No name has been released.
SECOND UPDATE – 12/17/15:
Providence Police released an enhanced image of a person they are looking to speak to in connection with the Brown University shooting.
Officials say the individual was in close proximity to the person of interest prior to Saturday’s shooting. The image appears to show a person dressed in a beige hoodie, blue coat, and black pants.
Officials are expected to hold a press conference at 4 p.m. ET to provide an update on the investigation.
Image provided by the Providence Police Department
ARTICLE UPDATE – 12/17/25:
Authorities released additional images of the Brown University shooting person of interest Tuesday night, along with a timeline of his movements.
The photos and videos show the person of interest roaming the neighborhood surrounding Brown University.
“We believe he was casing out this area to commit this crime,” said Providence Police Chief Colonel Oscar L. Perez Jr. “We want to focus on the body movements, the way the person moved their arms, the body posture, the way they carry their weight. I think those are important movement patterns that may help you identify this individual.”
The FBI described the person of interest as a male, approximately 5’8″ with a stocky build. He was wearing a mask, dark clothing, and a two-toned coat.
Timeline of Brown University Shooting Person of Interest’s Movements
The timeline of the Brown University shooting person of interest’s movements, which includes before and after the shooting, is as follows:
- 2:00 p.m.: Video from 56 Cooke St. shows the person of interest walking east on Manning Street and turning south on Cooke. The person of interest can be seen briefly walking behind a person in a white coat.
- 2:04 p.m.: Video from 253 George St. shows the man walking east towards Governor Street.
- 2:07 p.m.: Video from the same home shows the individual walking west toward Cooke Street.
- 2:08 p.m.: Video from 110 Benevolent St. shows the person of interest walking south on Cooke Street.
- 2:09 p.m.: Video from the same residence shows the individual walking east on Benevolent Street and then west toward Cooke Street.
- 2:13 p.m.: Video from 253 George St. shows the person of interest traveling west toward Cooke Street.
- 2:16 p.m.: Video shows the person of interest walking north on Cooke Street. He then abruptly turns west down George Street while a second individual follows.
- 2:18 p.m.: Video from 157 Hope St. shows the man walking south on Hope.
- 2:20 p.m.: Person of interest is shown running east toward Cooke Street.
- 2:51 p.m.: Video from 253 George St. shows the person of interest walking west toward Cooke Street.
- 2:52 p.m.: The person of interest is shown turning west onto Manning Street.
- 2:52 p.m.: Footage from Manning Street shows the individual heading west toward Hope Street.
- 2:53 p.m.: Video from a Nissan Rogue captures the man turning north onto Hope Street.
- 4:03 p.m.: The shooting at Brown University occurs.
- 4:06 p.m.: Person of interest appears to walk away from the crime scene as a police cruiser arrives.
Investigators are asking anyone who lives in the residential block of Waterman Avenue, Power Street, Ives Street, and Hope Street to check their personal surveillance cameras up to a week prior for footage showing the person of interest, WCVB reports.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to submit tips to investigators through the FBI’s website or by calling 401-272-3121. A reward of up to $50,000 is offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
Attorney General Peter Neronha said while police have received more than 200 “actionable” tips so far, there is “no information the investigative team has about motive.”
Reporters Ask About Cameras in Building Where Brown University Shooting Took Place
During Tuesday’s news conference, reporters again questioned the lack of cameras in the building where the attack occurred. Neronha said the shooting took place inside an older rear section of the building that had “fewer, if any” cameras installed primarily due to its age. In contrast, a newer addition to the building did have cameras, but it only captured footage of students running from the scene.
Neronha also said the shooting occurred “on the very edge” of the building, and that the person of interest was able to exit into the surrounding residential neighborhood quickly.
“Why did Brown University have so few Security Cameras? There can be no excuse for that. In the modern age, it just doesn’t get worse,” President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform several hours after the press conference.
Brown University President Christina Paxson said the campus, which covers approximately 140 acres, has about 1,200 cameras.
Brown University Student: Building Where Shooting Took Place Lacked Security Measures
Brown University student Joe McMonagle told CNN that the building where the shooting took place was “probably the worst building for this to happen in” because it lacks certain security measures found in other buildings.
“In particular, though, most of the buildings … they had a lobby that anyone can get into, but after, anywhere you try to go after the lobby, they had a security guard where you had to swipe in. Barus and Holley was one of the only buildings that didn’t have something like that,” he said. “The front part of it was actually a cafe, so just anyone could walk in and then you could just walk down the hall, past the cafe, into the lecture halls.”
ORIGINAL ARTICLE – LAST UPDATED 12/16/25:
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Two students were killed and nine others were wounded Saturday when a gunman, who remains at large, opened fire inside an academic building.
The shooting took place around 4 p.m. at the Barus and Holley engineering building in an economics class where students were taking a final exam, NPR reports. The deceased victims have been identified as students Ella Cook, 19, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. Cook, a sophomore, served as vice president of the Brown College Republicans chapter. Umurzokov, an Uzbekistan native, graduated from Midlothian High School in Virginia.
Brown University President Christina Paxson said seven of the injured victims were in critical but stable condition on Sunday while one remained in critical condition. The critical victim has been identified as Kendall Turner, a graduate of Durham Academy in North Carolina. The ninth injured victim was treated at the hospital and discharged.
Search for Brown University Shooter Enters Fourth Day
Shortly after the incident, officials released CCTV video of a person of interest walking away from the scene of the shooting, but the video did not show the person’s face. The person of interest, who was seen leaving the building on foot, appeared to be in his 30s and was dressed in all black, according to Providence Police.
Additional photos and video of the person of interest were released during a press conference Monday night. The images show a man wearing dark clothes, a beanie, and a face mask while walking in the area of Hope and Benevolent streets near the university. Authorities said the images were recorded around 2 p.m. Saturday, just two hours before the shooter opened fire. The person of interest is described as “approximately 5’8″ with a stocky build.”
Attorney General Peter Neronha said during the news conference that he is hoping for a breakthrough in the next 24 hours, USA Today reports.
“That has to happen,” he said. “The sooner we can identify that person, the sooner we can blow this case open.”
The FBI is offering a reward of $50,000 for information that leads to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the killer.
Brown University Public Safety Asks Campus Community to Contact Authorities
As the search for the shooter continues, Brown is asking those who were inside the building where the shooting occurred, both on the day of the attack and the day before, to 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.”
Brown University Shooting Suspect Detained, Released
Authorities detained a person of interest, a 24-year-old man from Wisconsin, on Sunday at a Hampton Inn in Coventry, R.I., about 20 miles from the Providence campus. Law enforcement recovered two handguns and two loaded 30-round magazines from the hotel room. However, the suspect was later released after new evidence moved the case “in a different direction,” according to Neronha.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that sometimes you head in one direction and then you have to regroup and go in another and that’s exactly what has happened over the last 24 hours or so,” Neronha said during a news conference late Sunday. “We have a murderer out there.”
A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that the shooter was armed with a handgun and fired more than 40 rounds.
The school issued a shelter-in-place order, which was lifted just before 6 a.m. Sunday morning. Brown wrote in a statement Sunday night that local police “have advised they do not believe there is any immediate threat to Brown or the local community.” Still, many local businesses announced they would remain closed Sunday.
Brown canceled all remaining classes, exams, papers, and projects for the rest of the semester so the university could “focus our efforts on providing care and support to the members of our community as we grapple with the sorrow, fear and anxiety that is impacting all of us right now,” said Provost Francis Doyle.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said there would be increased police presence both on campus and throughout the city. Brown University’s Department of Public Safety said it has also more than doubled its staffing as the manhunt continues.
Reporter Questions Lack of Security Cameras at Brown University
During Sunday’s news conference, one reporter asked why there weren’t enough cameras at the Ivy league school to catch the gunman still at large, Fox reports.
“There just weren’t a lot of cameras in that Brown building, is the reality,” Neronha said. “The reality is it’s an old building attached to a new one. I don’t know what to tell you, but we’re going to go out and find whatever evidence we can to solve this case as quickly as we can. I mean, we’re not holding back a video that we think would be useful. And I don’t think I should even have to say it.”
Providence Police are asking anyone with video or photo evidence to call 401-272-3121 or submit it to the FBI tip line. Anyone who lives near Hope and Waterman streets, or has a business in that area, is asked to check their home videos and security cameras for video that may be relevant to the investigation.
2 Brown University Students Survived Previous School Shootings
For two Brown University students, Saturday’s shooting was not their first, NBC reports. Mia Tretta, 21, was shot in the 2019 mass shooting at Saugus High School in California. Two students, Gracie Muehlberger, 15, and Dominic Blackwell, 14, were killed in the attack. Muehlberger was Tretta’s best friend.
Zoe Weissman, 20, attended Westglades Middle School, which is adjacent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, when 17 people were killed in a 2018 shooting.
Tretta said she chose Brown because she believed its smaller size, approximately 7,000 undergraduate students, would be more safe.
“No one in this country even assumes it’s going to happen to them,” she said. “Once it happens to you, you assume or are told it will never happen again, and obviously that is not the case.”
Weissman said she was in her dorm when a friend called to tell her a shooting was likely underway.
“At first, I was panicked. Once I knew a little more and I didn’t feel there was imminent danger, I felt numb — exactly how I did when I was 12,” she said during a phone interview with NBC. “I’m angry that I thought I’d never have to deal with this again, and here I am eight years later.”
We will continue to provide updates as they are made available.
