University Shooting: Search Continues, Suspect Freed

Authorities are searching for a gunman who killed two students and wounded nine others at Brown University over the weekend. Investigators are reviewing video evidence and canvassing neighborhoods for clues, releasing new images of the suspect.

Search Continues for Brown University Gunman

Officials released three new videos of the suspect, who was wearing a mask and a dark two-tone jacket. The footage, captured about two hours before the shooting, provides the clearest images yet of the individual. The FBI described the suspect as approximately 1.73m tall with a stocky build.

“We’re asking for the public’s assistance,” Providence’s police chief, Colonel Oscar Perez, said at a news conference, urging anyone who might recognize the suspect to contact authorities.

Police renewed their search after releasing a person of interest Monday, but determined evidence pointed elsewhere. Details are emerging about the students who were shot.

The lockdown order for the Ivy League school was lifted Monday after authorities initially detained a person of interest. However, the individual was released hours later.

The abrupt change in direction marked a setback in the investigation, raising questions about campus security, the apparent lack of school video evidence, and whether the focus on the initial person of interest allowed the attacker more time to escape.

Colin Moussette, who has friends at Brown and is considering enrolling next fall, said he felt uneasy knowing the suspect hadn’t been caught. “How someone got away, like in the middle of the day is, to me, not only heartbreaking but very concerning,” he said. “How they got access to the building is concerning.”

New Video Emerges

Before Tuesday’s news conference, police released a second video showing someone dressed in all black walking along a city street minutes after the shooting. The video, like the one released the day of the shooting, did not show the suspect’s face.

Officers were seen searching a snow-covered yard for evidence, and US marshals asked locals if they had security cameras.

Attorney General Peter Neronha said Tuesday that investigators were “making steady progress,” despite acknowledging Monday that there weren’t many cameras in the area where the attack occurred.

Law enforcement appeared to be performing basic investigative tasks, including tracing the suspect’s movements and searching for evidence near the crime scene.

“I was really glad to see that they were doing something,” said Katherine Baima, a local resident. “This is the first time any of us in my building, as far as I know, had heard from anyone. We hadn’t gotten alerts and we were really surprised that there hadn’t been anyone searching, let alone knocking on doors, on the first night.”

One of the Dead Was Active in Church. The Other Overcame Health Concerns

The shooting occurred in an auditorium-style classroom where students in a study group were preparing for an upcoming exam.

Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore and vice president of the Brown College Republicans, was one of the students killed, according to her pastor. The Reverend R. Craig Smalley described Cook as “an incredible grounded, faithful, bright light” who encouraged others.

“Ella was known for her bold, brave, and kind heart as she served her chapter and her fellow classmates,” said Martin Bertao, the president of the club.

The other student killed was MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman majoring in biochemistry and neuroscience. He was helping a friend at a review session when he was shot, his sister said.

Umurzokov had a neurological condition as a child requiring surgery and later wore a back brace for scoliosis. His family immigrated to the US from Uzbekistan when he was young, according to his sister, Samira Umurzokova.

“He had so many hardships in his life, and he got into this amazing school and tried so hard to follow through with the promise he made when was 7 years old,” she said.

As of Monday, only one of the nine wounded individuals had been released. One was in critical condition, and the other seven were in critical but stable condition. Mayor Brett Smiley said Tuesday that none of their conditions had worsened, but provided no further information.

Durham Academy confirmed that a recent graduate, Kendall Turner, was critically wounded and her parents were with her. “Our school community is rallying around Kendall, her classmates, and her loved ones,” the school said in a statement.

Another wounded student, 18-year-old freshman Spencer Yang, told the New York Times and the Brown Daily Herald from a hospital bed that a mad scramble ensued after the gunman entered the room. Yang was shot in the leg and expects to be discharged in the coming days. He said he tried to keep the more seriously wounded students conscious until police arrived.

Questions are Raised About Campus Security

Providence was no longer on lockdown and the city’s schools were open Monday. However, some colleges and universities, including those in Rhode Island and some Ivy League schools, increased security in light of the attack. Yale said extra security would be in place for Hanukkah celebrations.

The shooting occurred as final exams were underway at Brown University.

Investigators are still determining how the shooter gained access to the first-floor classroom.

The attack triggered hours of chaos on campus and in surrounding neighborhoods as hundreds of officers searched for the shooter.

Li Ding, a Rhode Island School of Design student on a dance team at Brown, expressed frustration with the lack of better security on campus. “The fact that we’re in such a surveillance state but that wasn’t used correctly at all is just so deeply frustrating,” Ding said.