‘Person of Interest’ in Custody Following Mass Shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island

Police in Rhode Island said early Sunday that they had a person of interest in custody after a shooting that rocked the Brown University campus during final exams, leaving two people dead and nine others wounded.Colonel Oscar Perez, chief of the Providence police, confirmed at a news conference that the detained person was in their 30s and that authorities are not currently searching for anyone else. He declined to say where the person was arrested and whether the person was connected to the university.Late Sunday, officials speaking to the Washington Post identified the gunman as 24-year-old Benjamin Erickson, originally from Wisconsin.News reports quoted unnamed police sources saying the shooting took place in the Engineering building shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday while students were writing their final exams and that the suspect had left the building.Armed with a handgun, the shooter fired more than 40 9mm rounds, according to a law enforcement official. Authorities as of Sunday morning hadn’t recovered a gun but did recover two loaded 30-round magazines, said the official.Providence leaders warned that residents will notice a heavier police presence on Sunday. Many local businesses announced they would remain closed and expressed shock and heartbreak as the community continued to process the news of the shooting.“Everybody’s reeling, and we have a lot of recovery ahead of us,” Brown University’s president, Christina Paxson, said at the news conference. “Our community’s strong and we’ll get through it, but it’s devastating.”In an earlier statement, the university said it had “informed our community to shelter in place, by locking doors, silencing phones and staying hidden until further notice,” adding that “it does remains an active crime scene and law enforcement continues to search for the suspect.”President Trump, returning to the White House Saturday evening from the Army-Navy football game at nearby Annapolis, Maryland, told reporters as he had been briefed on the situation.“What a terrible thing it is, and all we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt,” he said. “It’s a shame. Just pray. Thank you very much.”Mr. Trump had earlier posted that the suspect was in custody but corrected that in a second post after authorities in Providence reversed an erroneous report.

‘Person of Interest’ in Custody Following Mass Shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island

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