Manhunt Underway: Rhode Island authorities and the FBI are pursuing leads after a classroom shooting at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine. Officials released video of a person of interest and offered a $50,000 reward. A previously detained suspect was released; investigators say the shooter used a 9mm handgun and fired more than 40 rounds. The victims have been publicly mourned as the search continues.
Manhunt Continues After Deadly Brown University Shooting; FBI Offers $50K Reward
Rhode Island officials said Monday that law enforcement agencies are exhausting every lead to identify and apprehend the person who opened fire at Brown University in Providence on Saturday, killing two students and wounding nine others. A large-scale manhunt is ongoing.
Investigation and Person of Interest
Authorities released multiple short video clips showing a person of interest walking alone near the university campus. The footage — recorded Saturday afternoon before the shooting — depicts an individual in dark clothing wearing a hat or winter head covering that obscures the ears and lower face. Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez asked the public for help identifying the person, noting investigators have no confirmed identity and lack clear facial images.
The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the resolution of the case. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha told CNN that the individual is considered likely armed and dangerous. Officials say the weapon used in the attack was a 9mm handgun.
Earlier Detention and Evidence
Authorities earlier detained a 24-year-old man following a raid at a Hampton Inn about 17 miles from campus; that person was later released. Law enforcement said agents recovered two handguns and two loaded 30-round magazines during the initial operation.
A vigil after a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island on 14 December 2025.(Photograph: Taylor Coester/Reuters)
Incident Details
Law enforcement officials told the Associated Press the gunman fired more than 40 rounds inside a classroom in Brown's engineering building during the university's final exam period. Nine people were wounded; one student has since been released from the hospital, seven remained in critical but stable condition, and one was in critical condition as of Sunday.
Victims and Community Response
The two students killed have been publicly identified. Ella Cook, a second-year student from Alabama and vice-president of Brown's chapter of College Republicans, was remembered at a service at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham as "an incredible, grounded, faithful, bright light." The other victim, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, was an Uzbek national in his first year at Brown. His family and Uzbekistan's foreign ministry confirmed his identity; relatives described him as kind and ambitious, with hopes of becoming a neurosurgeon.
Communities and officials, including Governor Daniel McKee, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, and Brown University leaders, expressed grief and called for public vigilance as investigators continue their work.
Context
Brown University, one of the nation's oldest institutions, has roughly 7,300 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate students. The attack is listed by the Gun Violence Archive as one of the mass shootings reported in the United States in 2025; the archive defines mass shootings as incidents with four or more people wounded or killed.
"We want to see the individual that pulled the trigger on these young kids identified, apprehended and brought to justice," Governor Daniel McKee said at a press briefing.
The investigation remains active. Authorities urged anyone with relevant information to contact Providence police or the FBI to help identify the person seen in the released footage and to prevent further harm.
