Rachel Muller Heindyke and Brandon Drennon
The two students killed in the Brown University shooting have been identified, and the search for the shooter continues two days after the incident.
On Saturday, a person dressed in black opened fire in the auditorium of an Ivy League university in Providence, Rhode Island, killing students Ella Cook and Muhammad Aziz Umruzokov. Nine other people were injured.
The search for the suspect has resumed after authorities released a previous “person of interest” on Sunday.
On Monday, investigators shared several short videos of the person they are currently searching for. The video gave few details, but it showed a person dressed all in black walking through a residential area shortly before the attack.
The announcement that those involved in the incident had been released, and the fact that no one had been arrested several days after the attack, worried the community.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said there was “no basis” to keep the first-person investigator in custody, adding that evidence “now points in a different direction.”
Authorities did not say what led to the person's arrest.
FBI Director Kash Patel said he was offering a $50,000 (£30,000) reward for information leading to an arrest.
“We're at 49, and there's no one who wants to handcuff this person more than us,” Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez told reporters at a news conference Monday.
A video released by authorities on Monday shows a person wearing a black mask. The person is also pictured wearing a dark jacket and trousers, as well as a dark wool hat.
In one video, the person is seen walking over a fence. In another scene they are crossing a road, and in a third they are walking down a residential road.
Brown University has canceled all in-person exams and classes for the remainder of this semester.
Patel said that based on information from Providence police, the released person of interest was taken into custody at a hotel in the town of Coventry in the early morning hours.
At that time, Colonel Perez said officers were not looking for anyone else and were working with prosecutors to gather evidence.
But later that night, authorities reversed course and said the person in custody was not considered a suspect.
Perez on Monday declined to say whether police had any idea of a motive, or whether a specific person was targeted by the gunman or whether the suspect fired randomly into the crowd.
Officials said the gunman opened fire in a classroom in the Hawley Engineering Building on the east end of Brown University's campus around 4pm local time (9pm Japan time) on Saturday.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said one of those injured in the incident was in critical condition, but seven others were in stable condition and one had been released from the hospital.
The College Republicans of America released a statement in a post to X identifying Ella Cook as one of the deceased.
“We are shocked to learn of the passing of Brown University Republican Vice President Ella Cook,” the statement said.
“Ella was known for her boldness, bravery and kind heart in her service to her chapter and her classmates.”
“I have no words,” White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said of Cook on the X show.
“My thoughts are with her family and friends, especially her parents. May God bless them.”
Getty Images“The loss of innocent life due to this tragedy is a great loss for all of us,” Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement regarding the death of Uzbek national Umurzakov.
The US ambassador to the United States said he was “deeply saddened by the news of his tragic death.”
Ambassador Jonathan Henick said: “We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Umruzokov's family, friends and fellow students, and we mourn the loss of his bright future.”
Umurzokov's aunt, Karina Gavit, told NBC News that Umurzokov was an ambitious neurosurgeon who was “very kind and smart. He went to a gifted school.”
The principal of Durham Academy, a private school in North Carolina, said in an email to staff on Sunday that one of his classmates, Kendall Turner, was injured in the attack, according to US media.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Kendall, her family, and all members of the Brown University community during this incredibly difficult time,” said Michael Urck-Steiner.
In a statement released by the university on Sunday, Professor Paxson said some areas of the campus remain cordoned off as police continue to investigate.
About 2,000 students were moved to safety overnight, she said, adding that she was “deeply touched” by the students and local residents who opened their homes.
Professor Paxson said the families of the two murdered students were being supported.
“There are no words of comfort we can offer to families who have lost a child, but we will do everything we can to help,” she added.
Smiley said the evacuation order for residents was lifted on Sunday.
The mayor met with victims and their families at the hospital and said he was “overwhelmed” by their “courage, hope and gratitude.”
On Sunday night, area residents gathered for a candlelit vigil in memory of the shooting victims.
President Donald Trump spoke at the White House on Sunday, saying he hoped the nine injured students “get well soon” and paying tribute to the families of the two who died.
On Monday, he defended the FBI after the first person of interest was released and no new suspects were arrested.
The incident brings the total number of mass shootings in the United States this year to 389, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The law defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more victims, not including the assailant, are killed or injured.
