Brown University shooting chaos as cops release person of interest

The investigation into the mass shooting at Brown University was thrown into chaos and a manhunt is back on after police released the person of interest previously arrested by the FBI.

Nearly 30 hours after the attack, which killed two and injured nine on Saturday, authorities sought to reassure a rattled Rhode Island public while admitting that the evidence 'now points in a different direction'.

The dramatic developments mark the latest in a series of missteps involving the FBI, whose director Kash Patel has faced intense scrutiny since he prematurely announced that a suspect in Charlie Kirk's assassination had been caught.

There were echoes of that error in Patel's social media statement claiming credit for the capture of person of interest Benjamin Erickson, reigniting debate over whether hasty announcements in high-stakes investigations erode public confidence in the FBI or provide much-needed transparency.

Erickson, a 24-year-old Army sniper originally from Wisconsin, had been detained for questioning over the attacks. But within hours of his name leaking to the public, authorities disclosed at a hastily convened 11pm press conference that he would be freed. 

Earlier, 19-year-old Ella Cook was identified as one of the two victims killed in the Saturday afternoon shooting at the Ivy League campus.

The release of the lone person of interest leaves law enforcement without a known suspect, with officials pledging to redouble efforts in the investigation by canvassing for video surveillance that could help identify the gunman.

'We have a murderer out there,' Attorney General Peter Neronha said.

'I've been around long enough to know that sometimes you head in one direction and then you have to regroup and go in another and that's exactly what has happened over the last 24 hours or so.'

He said that 'certainly there was some degree of evidence that pointed to the individual' who'd been taken into custody but 'that evidence needed to be corroborated and confirmed. 

'Over the last 24 hours leading into just very, very recently, that evidence now points in a different direction.'

Footage showing a man wearing all black leaving the scene is still being relied on, officials said. They are urging anyone with information relating to the identification of the man in that video to come forward, and said the unknown person remains a person of interest. 

FBI officials took Erickson into custody at a Hampton Inn hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island on Saturday morning.

Hours later, FBI Director Patel boasted of his team's efforts hours later on X, writing that the bureau's Boston headquarters '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.'

'We have deployed local and national resources to process and reconstruct the shooting scene - providing HQ and Lab elements on scene. We set up a digital media intake portal to ingest images and video from the public related to this incident.

'And the FBI's victim specialists are fully integrating with our partners to provide resources to victims and survivors of this horrific violence. This FBI will continue an all out 24/7 campaign until justice is fully served.'

Patel is facing mounting backlash for once again sharing details of an investigation to social media before authorities were ready to press charges. Angry critics on X described him as 'completely incompetent' and 'a joke'.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley acknowledged that 'the news is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community'.

Despite an enhanced police presence at Brown, officials are not recommending another shelter-in-place order like the one that followed the Saturday afternoon shooting, when hundreds of officers searched for the shooter and urged students and staff to shelter in place. 

The lockdown, which stretched into the night, was lifted early Sunday, but authorities had not yet released information about a potential motive.

Brown University released a statement after the press conference acknowledging the stress the new details may cause students and their families.

'We know that this update may prompt numerous questions,' the message said. 

'This remains an active police investigation, and the university must defer to the Providence Police Department to release information as they deem appropriate.' 

On Sunday evening, city leaders, residents and others gathered at a park to honor the victims. The event originally was scheduled as a Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah lighting.

Smiley said he visited some wounded students and was inspired by their courage, hope and gratitude. One told him that active shooting drills done in high school proved helpful.

'The resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me, is frankly pretty overwhelming,' he said.

The first 911 call reported shots fired at Brown's engineering building at 4.05pm while students studied for an end-of-semester exam. 

By the time officers swept the scene, the suspect had fled through an exit, officials said. 

The shooter, who was armed with a handgun, fired more than 40 9mm rounds, law enforcement officials said.