Journalist Paul C. Kelly Campos of Ocean State Media reports on the continuing investigation into Saturday’s shooting at Brown University that left two people dead and at least nine more wounded.
Providence police Chief Oscar L. Perez said the investigation is progressing quickly but did not release the identity of the person detained Sunday morning at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island. Police described the person of interest as a man in his 20s. Chief Perez declined to detail how his department was alerted to the individual’s location, saying authorities wanted to be certain of details before making formal charges.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team helped locate the person of interest. Chief Perez repeated that the department would not share more until it was 100% certain of the information.
Mayor Brett Smiley did not release the victims’ names, noting some family members had not yet been notified because of holiday travel. He said he had spoken with some of the wounded; one person has been discharged from the hospital. As of the mayor’s update, one individual remained in critical but stable condition and seven others were in stable condition.
On campus, the atmosphere was quiet and somber amid snow. Students were visibly distraught. Brown University medical student Anh Nguyen said he was taking exams when the lockdown order arrived and described the shooting as an unimaginable act that feels increasingly common.
Mayor Smiley said the investigation is entering another phase and that crime scene work on campus was wrapping up. Brown has canceled final exams for the time being. A planned Christmas tree and menorah lighting in a nearby Providence park was shifted to serve as a memorial for the victims.
Reporter Paul C. Kelly Campos of Ocean State Media in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.
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