PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Police and federal agents searched Wednesday for an unidentified gunman who killed two students and injured at least eight others in a shooting at Brown University, as the manhunt entered a fourth day. Investigators say the attacker walked into the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building during final exams, opened fire in a classroom and fled, and authorities say they still have “zero” evidence of a motive, Dec. 17, 2025.
Investigators have released additional surveillance clips and said they are working through more than 200 tips, including doorbell and dashcam footage gathered from neighborhoods surrounding campus, according to a Reuters report on the expanding search.
Officials also confirmed a person of interest was detained early in the investigation and later released after authorities said they found no evidence tying him to the shooting.
Brown University shooting: video timeline, suspect description and reward
A newly released FBI “video timeline” shows the individual investigators want to identify walking in the area before the shooting and appearing near responding police moments after gunfire, as law enforcement closed in on the scene. The FBI has said the shooting was reported at about 4:03 p.m. Saturday, and the clip includes footage of the person crossing near Hope Street as emergency lights flash nearby, as detailed in ABC News’ account of the surveillance footage and timeline.
Federal officials have emphasized that the suspect remains unidentified, and they have asked the public to help identify the person shown in the footage.
Suspect description: Male, about 5-foot-8 with a stocky build; seen wearing dark clothing and a face covering in released footage.
Threat assessment: Investigators say the suspect should be considered armed and dangerous.
Reward: Up to $50,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
Details on the reward and tip process are posted on the FBI’s official bulletin, “Brown University Shooting”.
Investigators say the suspect may have been “casing” the area
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez has said investigators believe the person in the video was in the area hours before the attack. Police are urging anyone who recognizes the person’s posture, gait or clothing to come forward, and they have asked residents to review any neighborhood camera footage that could place the suspect before or after the shooting.
Authorities have said the Barus & Holley building’s doors were unlocked during exam activity, allowing the shooter to enter without forcing a door.
Brown University shooting: campus shutdown, victim updates and security changes
Brown canceled remaining classes, exams and end-of-semester academic requirements as the investigation continued and parts of campus remained restricted. In a message to alumni, Brown President Christina H. Paxson said the university issued its initial campus alert at 4:22 p.m. Saturday and directed the community to shelter in place while law enforcement responded; her full update is posted in the president’s statement to alumni.
The university said it has moved to tighten access to buildings and increase staffing for campus safety operations while the search continues.
As the investigation stretched through the week, a growing memorial formed outside the engineering complex. The two students killed were identified as Ella Cook, 19, of Mountain Brook, Alabama, and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, 18, of Brandermill, Virginia. New details about the victims and the recovery of those wounded were reported by The Associated Press in an update from Providence.
Campus violence over time: why this case is drawing national attention
The Brown University shooting has reignited familiar questions about how colleges balance open campuses with security, particularly during high-traffic moments like exams and major events. In recent years, other campus attacks have triggered lockdowns, rapid changes to building access and expanded counseling support — including the 2023 attack at Michigan State University that killed three people and wounded five, the 2023 shooting at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that killed a faculty member, and the 2022 attack at the University of Virginia in which three football players were killed.
For Brown, investigators have stressed that the immediate priority remains identifying and locating the suspect shown in the surveillance footage. Until then, campus security measures are expected to remain elevated, and officials continue to urge the public to share any information that could help close the case.
