A person of interest is in custody after the Brown University shooting, authorities say, as lockdown measures were lifted early Sunday.
December 14, 2025, 6:50 AM
Providence Police Department spokesperson Kristy DosReis confirmed that a person of interest was taken into custody overnight in connection with the deadly shooting at Brown University. The information was reported to ABC News by a law-enforcement source familiar with the investigation. A federal official told ABC News that the individual is currently described as a person of interest, though investigators are confident they are pursuing the right lead.
Officials indicated that the person detained is not a university student. During a press briefing, police declined to disclose where the arrest occurred.
The arrest follows a fatal mass shooting on Saturday on Brown’s East Side campus. Two students were killed, and nine other people were injured and transported to local hospitals as the campus endured a day described by university leaders as marked by “devastating gun violence.” Brown University President Christina H. Paxson expressed condolences, saying, “Our hearts go out to them. This is a day of tremendous sorrow. No parent or family member should ever have to endure a day like this.”
As of Sunday morning, eight of the nine injured individuals remained hospitalized, with seven in stable condition and one in critical but stable condition.
Providence Police lifted the shelter-in-place order for Brown’s College Hill campus in an alert issued at 5:42 a.m. ET, noting that police activity continued in areas still considered part of an active crime scene.
Context surrounding the event noted that the university’s Barus & Holley Building, which houses engineering and physics classes, is located on Hope Street. The incident occurred amid exams and preparations for the winter break in the College Hill area.
Earlier, the FBI and other law-enforcement agencies released a short footage clip showing a person of interest. The clip depicts an individual dressed in dark attire, including a hood, walking along Hope Street and turning onto Waterman Street northbound. The person’s right hand appears to be in a jacket pocket as they move north and eventually exit the frame.
ABC News contributor: Jessica Gorman.
