RI - Mass Shooting at Brown University - Providence 13 Dec 2025

[Curiousobserver]

I'm thinking someone who was struggling in the engineering department. Maybe a smart student, but someone recently disciplined or having personal troubles. Speculation.

The other idea is perhaps someone who is upset about "woke" universities. There has been plenty of dangerous things said about academic institutions and some people take the messaging as a call to action. Speculation, of course.

Or, pure hate crime against innocent college students. Or a targeted attack based on personal relationship.

We don't know enough to be able to pinpoint speculation, imo.

jmopinion

I agree, at this point this could be a domestic situation.

This really seems pretty targeted to me and to just casually walk away shows a level of familiarity or planning.

He (assuming it is a he) walked into a specific building and a specific room. If the intent was just to kill, there were likely many potential targets on the way to this room.

 

[Warwick1991]

So I went to google maps and decided to do a street view walk of the area outside the building from Hope Street to Waterman Street. Interesting to note that Waterman Street is a one-way street. The perp is seen walking on Hope Street and taking a right on Waterman. Waterman is a one-way with traffic going in the same direction the perp turned to walk. I also noticed after leaving Barus and Holley building walking on Hope Street there was a street before Waterman so for some reason the person didn't turn right on Manning Street, he kept walking and turned right on Waterman. I am curious if he had a car parked on Waterman. From the street view I can see that Waterman has street parking the entire way and it's one lane of traffic.

Yes, it is possible to park on Waterman Street. You can navigate through some streets to get on either Route 95 or 195. With GPS, relatively easy.

 

[MissPie]

No imminent danger, no threat to the public.....carry on, nothing to see here...
For all we know this guy could be local, living right there in Providence, blending in.
If my kid was still at Brown, I would insist she come home...like yesterday.

These statements do not engender trust in the authorities. The police did the same thing in Idaho after that heinous crime…long before they found BK. This infuriates me.

 

[justtrish]

Yes, it is possible to park on Waterman Street.

Seems finding a camera further down Waterman Street that didn't capture the perp walking might be a good place to check in the minutes after the perp is seen turning onto Waterman. If they could see the cars driving by any cameras after that which didn't capture the perp walking maybe they could run those plates to see if anyone seems to match the build of the perp.

 

[JennieM]

1m ago
Michelle R Smith reporting from Providence, Rhode Island:

Tensions ran high in Providence on Monday near the Brown University campus, after authorities said they were still searching for a suspect and would release a person of interest they detained over the weekend.

In midmorning, sirens could be heard racing through the city’s East Side, where Brown is located. Police later said in a post on X that they responded to a call of shots fired at an apartment complex a few blocks from Brown’s campus. Police said the reports were unfounded: the loud noise came from a boiler backfire in the building. But they said they set up a perimeter around the area and cleared the building as a precaution.

Meanwhile, all Providence public schools were open with what the district told parents would be an increased safety presence, while many private schools in the neighborhood closed.

Foot and car traffic in the area around Brown was notably diminished from a typical Monday in early December, and a news helicopter circled the neighborhood all morning.

Brown university shooting: police release more videos of person of interest as FBI offers reward – live updates

Authorities continue to search for gunman who killed two students and injured nine others in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday

www.theguardian.com

 

[JennieM]

5m ago
US Representative Seth Magaziner, a Democrat of Rhode Island, who is an alumni of Brown University, told MS NOW that people in Providence are feeling “shocked” “sad and upset”.

“The last couple of days, people have really been stepping up to look out for each other” Magaziner said. “Rhode Island’s a small state, providence is a small, tight-knit city. It’s a place where people help each other and grieve together. This is also a place where things like this do not happen often. “

“Prior to the terrible shooting at Brown, there had only been two homicides in the city of Providence all year, and so I think the mood here is that people are feeling shocked, people are sad and upset” the Congressman added. “But more than anything else, I think people are looking out for each other.”

Magaziner said that he spoke with the director of the Rhode Island Blood Center, who told him that Sunday was the busiest day the center had had “since 9/11” because “so many people had turned out to donate blood”.

Magaziner said now that authorities do not have anyone in custody, “everyone’s concerned and people are taking precautions, some schools in the area have been shut down, for example.”

He said that he knows that the authorities and police are going to “work around the clock as hard as they can for as long as it takes until they find this guy.’

Brown university shooting: police release more videos of person of interest as FBI offers reward – live updates

Authorities continue to search for gunman who killed two students and injured nine others in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday

www.theguardian.com

 

[StarryStarryNight]

10 min ago

There continues to be no threat to the public, Providence mayor says​

From CNN's Chris Boyette

Despite an unidentified killer on the loose and an ongoing manhunt in the wake of the shooting at Brown University, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said students at Brown and people in Providence are safe.

“We don’t believe that there is an imminent threat to public safety here in the city of Providence, and there is, in fact, an enhanced police presence throughout the city,” Smiley said Monday morning.

The mayor said there have been no credible threats since the shooting late afternoon Saturday.

“There’s been no additional either threat or act of violence that has occurred since the horrific incident a day and a half ago,” Smiley said.

But that doesn’t mean the community isn’t on edge.

Smiley said there have been “several” false calls reported, which police took seriously, but were deemed unfounded.

Students at Brown have told CNN they “don’t feel safe” and many people are “very paranoid.”

As the search for the shooter continues, investigators across local, state and federal agencies are working well together, according to Smiley.

“The boots on the ground here are all professionals. They have a preexisting and long-standing relationship, and everyone is focused on the task at hand in doing their job,” Smiley said. “Of course, they’re getting tired. There hasn’t been a lot of sleep in the last two days.”

https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/brown-university-shooting-manhunt-12-15-25

Yet, 24 hours before, under the exact same conditions, people were locked down, police were everywhere, and we were told it was a dangerous situation.
Sorry, I can’t seem to let this go.
So quickly it slid to a super major thing to just a regular run of the mill thing. This is not a run of the mill thing! We do not know this person’s motivation! We do not know if he will try it again!
It is concerning and anybody, including the mayor of Providence, who thinks having an unknown person walk into a classroom and kill and critically injured a group of college students, is something you just move quickly on from, is delusional. Reckless talk in my opinion.
Now I will try and let it go, and not bring it up again.

 

[LAborn]

1m ago
Michelle R Smith reporting from Providence, Rhode Island:

Tensions ran high in Providence on Monday near the Brown University campus, after authorities said they were still searching for a suspect and would release a person of interest they detained over the weekend.

In midmorning, sirens could be heard racing through the city’s East Side, where Brown is located. Police later said in a post on X that they responded to a call of shots fired at an apartment complex a few blocks from Brown’s campus. Police said the reports were unfounded: the loud noise came from a boiler backfire in the building. But they said they set up a perimeter around the area and cleared the building as a precaution.

Meanwhile, all Providence public schools were open with what the district told parents would be an increased safety presence, while many private schools in the neighborhood closed.

Foot and car traffic in the area around Brown was notably diminished from a typical Monday in early December, and a news helicopter circled the neighborhood all morning.

Brown university shooting: police release more videos of person of interest as FBI offers reward – live updates

Authorities continue to search for gunman who killed two students and injured nine others in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday

www.theguardian.com

Like the scene in "Jaws" of the mayor trying to convince everyone it's safe to go in the water.

 

[MissPie]

Yet, 24 hours before, under the exact same conditions, people were locked down, police were everywhere, and we were told it was a dangerous situation.
Sorry, I can’t seem to let this go.
So quickly it slid to a super major thing to just a regular run of the mill thing. This is not a run of the mill thing! We do not know this person’s motivation! We do not know if he will try it again!
It is concerning and anybody, including the mayor of Providence, who thinks having an unknown person walk into a classroom and kill and critically injured a group of college students, is something you just move quickly on from, is delusional. Reckless talk in my opinion.
Now I will try and let it go, and not bring it up again.

I feel the same way Starry.

 

[Curiousobserver]

Yet, 24 hours before, under the exact same conditions, people were locked down, police were everywhere, and we were told it was a dangerous situation.
Sorry, I can’t seem to let this go.
So quickly it slid to a super major thing to just a regular run of the mill thing. This is not a run of the mill thing! We do not know this person’s motivation! We do not know if he will try it again!
It is concerning and anybody, including the mayor of Providence, who thinks having an unknown person walk into a classroom and kill and critically injured a group of college students, is something you just move quickly on from, is delusional. Reckless talk in my opinion.
Now I will try and let it go, and not bring it up again.

I am with you- they said the same thing when the Beltway snipers were at large. 9 more people died after they said that.

The more appropriate response is, obviously we don't know, you can't lock yourselves away in your homes but be extra vigilant.

 

[sds71]

'Kind-hearted' Midlothian High grad was killed in Brown University shooting, family friend says

A family friend says a recent Midlothian High School graduate was one of the students killed in the shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island on Saturday.

www.wtvr.com

Alabama student killed in Brown University shooting was a ‘bright light,’ Birmingham church says

Ella Cook was killed when a gunman opened fire at a building in the Rhode Island university.

www.al.com

 

[gremlin444]

No imminent danger, no threat to the public.....carry on, nothing to see here...
For all we know this guy could be local, living right there in Providence, blending in.
If my kid was still at Brown, I would insist she come home...like yesterday.

Well, classes were already over, and now all finals have been cancelled and students told they are free to leave. From what I've seen on different platforms, a large amount of students left on Sunday weren't able to access their dorms until mid morning Sunday. So another large group of kids then spent yesterday trying to get a bit of sleep after being up all night being held in the sports complex after being evacuated from campus buildings and then packing. A lot of those kids are leaving today. Many people are already describing campus as very silent and empty except for the presence of LE.

 

[gremlin444]

So I guess we're back to analyzing the video.

The clothes look odd imo. Like they don't fit well. Might be just poor fashion choices, might be underlayers creating bulk. The pants pockets don't lie flat. The front opening bulges out, as if the pants are slightly too small through the hip. They also bunch up at the ankles and knees, as if slightly too long.

The top looks like the trunk is solidly filled out, but the arms are loose. Almost like there's a backpack or something under the outer layer. JMO.

I have been wondering if the person had on a bulletproof vest under their outer layer.

 

[Serononin]

Maybe they have some evidence that it was a targeted attack? That's really the only explanation I can think of that would genuinely mean there was probably no threat to the wider public

 

[justtrish]

A thought just occurred to me, if this was a student there, what if he simply walked back to his dorm room or house near campus. He sheltered there pretending to be like everyone else. If he didn't bring a phone and they can't ID him from the one video they have, then it's possible he is just still on campus and will head "home" with everyone else today pretending he's just a student impacted by this tragedy.

 

[Warwick1991]

I think people in the College Hill neighborhood are also very anxious. I am sure students and faculty at the adjacent Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) campus are just as anxious. Since the Brown campus is embedded in a neighborhood, the effects are certainly felt outside Brown. Since we don't know where the shooter is, or his motives, people in the neighborhood have every right to be upset.

 

[Lore Listener]

I agree, at this point this could be a domestic situation.

This really seems pretty targeted to me and to just casually walk away shows a level of familiarity or planning.

He (assuming it is a he) walked into a specific building and a specific room. If the intent was just to kill, there were likely many potential targets on the way to this room.

I wonder if Ella Cook was the main target, if this was the case. Stalker? She was clearly a beautiful and magnetic young woman. I hope police are looking into this angle. Domestic violence (which includes stalking) is a key predictor of mass violence.

Domestic Violence, Mass Shootings, and Gun Control: A Public Health, Criminal Justice, and Civil Rights Issue - PMC

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Brown University sophomore Ella Cook identified as victim in shooting

Ella Cook, a 19-year-old Brown University sophomore and vice president of the campus Republican club, was identified as one of the two students killed in Saturday's shooting.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Sundog]

FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X on Sunday, touting the FBI's role in bringing in the person of interest in a hotel room in Coventry, Rhode Island by using geolocation capabilities. Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said in a press conference that the FBI had followed through on a tip to locate the person of interest.

Kash Patel should 'take a lesson' from RI, Magaziner says

FBI Director Kash Patel was quick to tout the FBI's role in bringing a person of interest in, but now that person has been released.

www.providencejournal.com

Lots of finger pointing now among LE and politically motivated legislators. Par for the course, I guess.

 

[vereb]

Hope LE is also keeping an eye on people reported missing in the area around now.

 

[Stunned]

So did he make the drive from Wisconsin? Was he there for a game?