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A person detained in connection with a shooting that killed two students at Brown University is to be released, U.S. officials said Sunday, as authorities said the search for the suspect has resumed.
A gunman opened fire Saturday at the Ivy League university in Providence, Rhode Island, inside a building where exams were underway, triggering a campus lockdown and an hourslong manhunt.
Authorities said two students were killed and nine others wounded. Brown University President Christina Paxson said in a letter to the campus community that all 11 victims were students.
“Shortly, we will be releasing the person of interest who had been detained earlier today,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said Sunday.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said there was no basis to continue holding the individual.
“I think it’s fair to say there’s no basis to consider him a person of interest,” Neronha told reporters. “That’s why he’s being released.”
Officials said the investigation remains active but declined to provide details.
“Obviously we have a murderer out there, frankly, and so we’re not going to give away the game plan,” Neronha said.
Police released about 10 seconds of surveillance footage showing a suspect from behind, walking briskly down a deserted street after the shooting inside a first-floor classroom.
NBC News reported that Benjamin Erickson, 24, was detained Sunday morning in connection with the shooting, citing three senior law enforcement officials. The outlet reported that Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez Jr. said investigators are confident Erickson is the gunman, though no formal charges had been announced.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed charges, and officials said investigators are continuing to pursue the suspect while working through legal requirements.
“This is complex,” Perez told NBC, citing the volume of evidence and number of witnesses. He said police cannot hold Erickson beyond Monday unless charges are filed and added that authorities hope an arraignment will take place “sooner rather than later.”
The shooting occurred at Barus & Holley, an engineering and physics building on Brown’s campus, police said. Investigators are examining the suspect’s background, including mental health history and any possible connection to the university.
Public records reviewed by NBC show Erickson most recently lived in Washington, D.C., and previously resided in Wisconsin. Initial checks did not indicate a criminal record. The report also said Erickson served in the U.S. Army as an infantryman from May 2021 until November 2024.
Authorities said the campus lockdown has been lifted, but the investigation remains ongoing.
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