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

[whitelilac]

I just can't understand the POI running away and the second person running after him.
Unless it's just a case of the POI recognizing the person who then saw him and ran after him.
But you'd think the second person would have called the near encounter in.
Could be it was a student who has gone home now, and as yet hasn't seen the photos.
Just thinking aloud.

 

[MassGuy]

What do you mean? Why do you say that? Please be specific.

That second photo looks like a woman to me.

Judging by that presser, it appears that they’re open to that person potentially being involved.

If they are involved, and that person is in fact a female, then it’s plausible you have a husband and wife.

Wouldn’t be the first time.

 

[m00c0w]

I know @justtrish did some work on this already, but here's the location where the photo of the second person was captured (I made this graphic, for citation purposes). It was within the historical association fenceline off Cooke. A lot transpired around this area, which makes the second person even more interesting now that I've seen it laid out on the map. No idea when the photo was taken, though. I'm going to see if I can spot where the clearer photo was taken at some point tonight.

 

[Cryptic]

I am more convinced this is a woman and I see a hoodie up over what might be a hijab. Looks like glasses also.

It looks like a hijab to me as well.

Going off on a limb.... the hijab looks "tight" to me. For example, it covers the whole hairline and is wrapped tight so that none of the hair shows. This is contrast to looser, or more token Hijabs that still pass the definition of a hijab, but can be loose wrapped, or pulled back.

As the woman is wearing a more conservative Hijab, it could indicate that she wears it every day- and did not put it on solely for the day of the attack. It could also indicate a more religious person.

But....some non religious middle aged Muslim women still wear tight Hijabs simply because they have done so their entire lives and its a cultural habit. This would be similar to similar ex Mennonite, now non religious woman still wearing "Little House on the Prairie" look blouses / dresses as a hard to break cultural habit.

 

[LAborn]

That second photo looks like a woman to me.

Judging by that presser, it appears that they’re open to that person potentially being involved.

If they are involved, and that person is in fact a female, then it’s plausible you have a husband and wife.

Wouldn’t be the first time.

I can't think of any other husband and wife mass shooters. Just thought it was odd you jumped to that reference, especially when there is no connection to the POI other than being on the street at the same time. Like anyone could be.

 

[Inthedetails]

I just can't understand the POI running away and the second person running after him.
Unless it's just a case of the POI recognizing the person who then saw him and ran after him.
But you'd think the second person would have called the near encounter in.
Could be it was a student who has gone home now, and as yet hasn't seen the photos.
Just thinking aloud.

Could they have had a system, perhaps notification on their phone or signal that meant GO?
Or maybe, SCURRY.

I have no idea why but it is odd.

jmo

 

[LAborn]

I also think the person is wearing a hijab.

But... I think that is is worth adding the following:

- Wearing a hijab would not necessarily make her ethnically Arab. In the end, "Arab" and "Muslim are not synonyms as there are millions of Arab Christians.

- Most Muslims are not Arabs and do not speak Arabic. Ethnic Arab coloration can vary greatly. For example, levant Arabs, both Christian and Muslim, often appear as southern Europeans. Ditto for Algerians and many Libyans. Other Arab populations, however, can be darker.

Though judging nationality by appearance is risky, this woman appears to be darker than most Arabs. If I would hazard a guess, I would say darker complected Pakistani, or , Indian / Bengali.

Looks like a beanie to me. Completely agree with the rest of your statement. I don't come to this group for people to vilify other races, religions or ethnicities and participate in wild speculation. Usually participants are thoughtful, fact based.

 

[O.Incandenza]

It looks like a hijab to me as well.

Going off on a limb.... the hijab looks "tight" to me. For example, it covers the whole hairline and is wrapped tight so that none of the hair shows. This is contrast to looser, or more token Hijabs that still pass the definition of a hijab, but can be loose wrapped, or pulled back.

As the woman is wearing a more conservative Hijab, it could indicate that she wears it every day- and did not put it on solely for the day of the attack. It could also indicate a more religious person.

But....some non religious Muslim women wear tight Hijabs simply because they have done so their entire lives and its a cultural habit. This would be similar to an ex Mennonite, now non religious woman still wearing "Little House on the Prairie" look dresses as a cultural habit that is hard to break.

Interesting. To me it looks most like a hoodie under a jacket (and maybe a beanie under the hoodie), and the face looks masculine. But I think both are possible given the quality of the image. I don't put any stock in the AI 'enhancement.'

Whoever it is, hopefully they are identified quickly and LE can speak to them. The running behavior was strange. At the very least, they might be able to provide more insight into the suspect's behavior and appearance.

 

[JennieM]

2 min ago

Students were attending voluntary study session when shooting happened, provost said​

From CNN's Elise Hammond

When a gunman opened fire at the Barus & Holley building on Brown University’s campus, students were preparing for finals, making it difficult to determine exactly who was there, Brown University Provost Francis Doyle said.

A study session was happening in the classroom where the shooting happened, Doyle said. This means that it is taking longer than usual for officials to piece together what students were attending, he said.

“Had it been a final exam, we’d have a roster, we’d have handed it over. We’d know exactly who was in the room because everyone shows up for a final,” he said, when pressed about why it is taking so long for the school to tell investigators what students where there.

Study sessions, however, are optional, the provost said, “so we don’t know exactly what fraction of the overall roster turned out for a voluntary review session.”

Earlier, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said there is no evidence so far that indicates the shooting was targeted at a specific person.

https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/brown-university-shooting-suspect-12-17-25?t=1766011161588

 

[Cryptic]

I can't think of any husband and wife mass shooters.

I can in the form of the San Bernardino attackers: Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik - Wikipedia

Though the above attackers were Al Queda motivated, it does not mean that all Muslim attackers must be religiously motivated.

To me, the lack of religious follow up messaging or claiming by a terror group(s) suggests a secular motive. As one poster mentioned, a secular motive could be very old and based on say: rejected enrollment, rejected post graduate degree, terminated employment etc. followed by a "failure to launch" into life

In short, the motive could be "All American" ala: "Got a grudge and a gun. My failure to launch is, naturally, all their fault. So... its time to rampage. But..... I don't want the "suicide by cop" option.

 

[MassGuy]

I can't think of any husband and wife mass shooters. Just thought it was odd you jumped to that reference, especially when there is no connection to the POI other than being on the street at the same time. Like anyone could be.

If they are going to these lengths to identify this person, then there's likely way more to it than "being on the street at the same time."

Instead of strongly stating this person is merely a witness, the Colonel shrugged when posed a question about this person also becoming a person of interest.

 

[LAborn]

I can: Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik - Wikipedia

The other commenter made reference to this couple. I'm well aware. He made it seem like husband and wife mass shooters were common place. My point is there is no reason to jump to this event given the information we currently have. It's not useful, and can actually be very damaging to the Muslim community.

 

[Lebowski]

unless it's an illusion caused by glasses or makeup, i think person #2 has pretty defined cheekbones and a deep naso-labial fold or mid-cheek groove. think willem dafoe. i think this is apparent in all the best pictures released by LE.

the super-enlarged photo doesn't show that. it just shows generic cheeks that blend in with the rest.

 

[justtrish]

I also think the person is wearing a hijab.

But... I think that is is worth adding the following:

- Wearing a hijab would not necessarily make her ethnically Arab. In the end, "Arab" and "Muslim" are not synonyms as there are millions of Arab Christians.

- Most Muslims are not Arabs and do not speak Arabic. Ethnic Arab coloration can vary greatly. For example, levant Arabs, both Christian and Muslim, often appear as southern Europeans. Ditto for Algerians and many Libyans. Other Arab populations, however, can be darker.

Though judging nationality by appearance is risky, this woman appears to be darker than most Arabs. If I would hazard a guess, I would say darker complected Pakistani, or Indian / Bengali.

Thank you for all this information! I simply mentioned I thought it could be a hijab because the way it frames the face and appears close to the persons head just reminded me of a hijab. That could be helpful if someone recognizes this person.

 

[Dotta]

Earlier, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said there is no evidence so far that indicates the shooting was targeted at a specific person.

https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/brown-university-shooting-suspect-12-17-25?t=1766011161588

RSBM

This is my theory too.

Not a specific person but University
- for whatever reason.
(ideological or personal)
And this particular building due to lack of security.

Is the attacker local?

How would the perp know there are no cameras in the building?
Did he check it earlier?
Did somebody give him a tip?

I'm not sure the perp was a former student.
Considering how specific this person is,
I'm sure staff would recognize this person even from grainy photos/CCTV.

Fingers the attacker will soon be caught.
Close, closer with each passing day.

JMO

 

[ivylambs]

I never, ever trust AI enhanced images. No amount of advancement in technology will make it able to know information it doesn’t have, it only makes guesses. Case in point: What a machine learning tool that turns Obama white can (and can’t) tell us about AI bias

That pic absolutely looks like a woman with glasses to me.

 

[MassGuy]

I never, ever trust AI enhanced images. No amount of advancement in technology will make it able to know information it doesn’t have, it only makes guesses. Case in point: What a machine learning tool that turns Obama white can (and can’t) tell us about AI bias

That pic absolutely looks like a woman with glasses to me.

These images that are being distributed by LE, almost certainly aren't the product of AI. They have tools to clean up images that don't involve generative AI.

The issue comes from people taking these photos and plugging them into AI, which completely alters the image. People are still spreading conspiracy theories about images of the suspect in the Kirk shooting, claiming that the guy they arrested doesn't resemble the images that were floating around.

Images that never came from LE in the first place.

 

[Cryptic]

Looks like a beanie to me.

I can agree with that possibility. @O.Incandenza raises that possibility as well.

When I looked at the full picture, I cant tell if the individual's hips are feminine or masculine. As with the tight hijab / beanie possibility, the hips seem to be able to swing either way (feminine, but on the slender side for a middle aged woman / Masculine, but fuller with a small flair).

 

[wibbleflea]

If they are going to these lengths to identify this person, then there's likely way more to it than "being on the street at the same time."

Instead of strongly stating this person is merely a witness, the Colonel shrugged when posed a question about this person also becoming a person of interest.

There’s something unusual about the behaviour in that particular clip of the POI and the second person. It could be nothing but even if that clip is all that raised their suspicions, it feels worth pursuing. It’s good that they have other decent images of the second person.

Beginning to think that the main POI may not have been well known at or around Brown. The images have been public for a couple of days and local scrutiny must have been intense. I’d have expected many calls naming one person. It’s also possible that the manner of movement and the appearance we see on video aren’t representative of this person in day-to-day life.

The possibility of this being a person from some way outside the area seems more likely than it did two days ago.

 

[NoviceCrimeWatcher]

I'm wondering if any witnesses inside the building/classroom have confirmed whether the individuals in the photos match the shooter's description (clothing, shoes, build, etc.).