Law enforcement authorities in Providence, Rhode Island, have released the “person of interest” previously detained in connection with the deadly mass shooting at Brown University. The decision, announced late Sunday, leaves investigators without a confirmed suspect in custody, intensifying the manhunt for the gunman responsible for killing two students and wounding nine others.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley confirmed the release during a Sunday night press conference, acknowledging the development would cause “fresh anxiety” for the community. The individual, identified in multiple reports as 24-year-old Benjamin Erickson, a U.S. Army veteran and prospective transfer student, was taken into custody early Sunday morning at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island. However, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha stated that while initial evidence pointed toward the individual, further investigation and corroboration ultimately pointed “in a different direction,” clearing him of involvement in the attack.
The shooting occurred on Saturday, December 13, 2025, inside the Barus & Holley building, which houses the university’s engineering and physics departments. The gunman, described as a male dressed in black, opened fire during final exams, sending the campus into a terrifying lockdown. Surveillance footage released by the FBI shows the suspect walking calmly away from the scene, but his face remains obscured, complicating identification efforts.
With the release of the primary person of interest, police are redoubling their efforts to identify the shooter. Authorities are canvassing for additional video surveillance and forensic evidence. The FBI and local police have urged the public to remain vigilant but have not reinstated the shelter-in-place order that paralyzed the city over the weekend.
In response to the tragedy, Brown University has cancelled all remaining final exams and assignments for the fall semester. University President Christina Paxson announced that students are free to leave campus immediately, with many already departing on Sunday. The campus remains in a state of mourning as officials work to notify the families of the deceased.
The incident marks a historic tragedy for the Ivy League institution, which had never previously experienced a mass shooting. As the investigation enters a new, uncertain phase, the Providence community remains on high alert, waiting for answers in a case that has shifted from an apparent arrest back to an active manhunt.
Footage Charlie Kirk has been shot
Charlie Kirk has been shot
