By Tiffany Williams –
A person suspected in the deadly Brown University shooting was taken into custody early Sunday at a Hampton Inn in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 17 miles south of the campus.
A senior law enforcement official with the FBI told NewsTalk New England that the suspect believed responsible for Saturday’s mass shooting, which killed two students, is in custody. The person has not yet been identified or charged.
The shooter, dressed in black, fired more than 40 rounds from a 9mm handgun, authorities said. Investigators recovered two loaded 30-round magazines but have not yet recovered the gun. Security footage shows a dark-clad man leaving the building. Some witnesses said he may have been wearing a camouflage mask and could be in his 30s.
Brown University President Christina Paxson said 10 of those shot were students. Another person was injured by fragments, but it was not clear if that victim was a student. Police searched the campus and nearby affluent neighborhoods late into the night after the attack.
FBI Director Kash Patel said federal agents worked with the Providence Police Department and U.S. Marshals to track the suspect using geolocation technology. “@FBIBoston established a command post to intake, develop and analyze leads, and run them to ground. We activated the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, to provide critical geolocation capabilities. As a result, early this morning, FBI Boston’s Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the @USMarshalsHQ & the @Coventry_RI_PD, detained a person of interest in a hotel room in Coventry, RI, based off a lead by the @ProvidenceRIPD,” he said.
Patel said the FBI is processing and reconstructing the scene, reviewing digital media from the public, and providing resources to victims and survivors. “This FBI will continue an all out 24/7 campaign until justice is fully served. Thanks to the men and women of the FBI and our partners for their continued teamwork. Please continue praying for the victims and their families – as well as all those at Brown University.”
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley visited the hospital to meet victims and their families. “These survivors are receiving excellent care, and the resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me is frankly pretty overwhelming,” he said. Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee called on the community to support those affected. Democratic Sen. Jack Reed expressed condolences and commended first responders.
Among the students on campus were survivors of previous mass shootings, including Mia Tretta, who was shot at Saugus High School in 2019, and Zoe Weissman, who survived the 2018 Parkland, Florida shooting.
Authorities have not confirmed the suspect’s motive or connection to the university, and the investigation is ongoing.