The hunt intensifies for the masked gunman who shattered the calm of Brown University’s campus last week, leaving two students dead and nine wounded in what authorities are calling a meticulously planned attack.
Providence police and FBI investigators released enhanced surveillance footage Thursday showing the suspect who opened fire inside Room 166 of the Barus & Holley engineering building during final exams on December 13. The gunman, described as approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall with a stocky build, fired more than 40 rounds from a 9mm handgun before fleeing the scene. A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.
Movement Patterns Key to Identification
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez urged the public to study not just the suspect’s appearance but their distinctive movements. “Watch body movements, the way the person moved their arms, their body posture, the way they work, they’re carrying their weight,” Perez said at Thursday’s briefing. “I think those are important movement patterns that help you identify this individual, which is extremely important.”
Investigators have recovered two handguns and two loaded 30-round magazines from an individual initially detained as a person of interest, though that individual was later released. The authorities are working to piece together the shooter’s movements before and after the attack.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha indicated progress in tracking the gunman’s escape route. “We have a good picture of the gunman’s route, but it’s not complete yet,” he noted, adding that enhanced photographs would be released to aid in identification.
Campus in Mourning
The university community is reeling from the loss of students Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, identified as the two fatal victims. Nine others were wounded, with several still in critical but stable condition, according to university officials.
How did the campus respond in those terrifying moments? At 4:22 p.m., Brown University sent an emergency alert instructing everyone to shelter in place, lock doors, and silence phones. Footage from inside the building showed frightened students huddled in classrooms as armed officers conducted sweeps of the premises.
The university has since canceled all remaining classes, exams, papers and projects for the semester. The campus remains under heightened security as the investigation continues.
Brown’s president addressed the community in an emotional message, acknowledging the profound impact of the tragedy. “We lost two community members who were fatal victims of the shooting, and at this point, we know there are at least eight additional victims who were transported to the hospital,” the president wrote, describing the victims’ conditions as “critical but stable” while emphasizing the evolving nature of the situation.
As the manhunt enters its second week, investigators are asking anyone who recognizes the suspect’s distinctive movements or build to come forward immediately—the key to solving a case that has left a prestigious Ivy League campus transformed by violence and a community waiting anxiously for answers.
