Authorities in Rhode Island have said they want assistance in identifying a person who was speaking to and in the proximity of a person of interest sought in the fatal shooting at Brown University over the weekend.
Photos released by the Providence Police Department show a person wearing dark pants and a blue coat with a tan or white hood, and carrying a white or tan bag.
“Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying and speaking to the individual shown in these photos who was in proximity of the person of interest. Anyone with information is urged to contact” the department, officials wrote in a post on X.
Maj. David Lapatin of the Providence Police Department told CNN that authorities do not believe the person seen in the photos was involved in the shooting. “We’re not saying that was any kind of criminal contact,” he said.
Two Brown University students were killed and nine were wounded in the shooting. Seven remain in the hospital, one of whom is in critical condition, officials said.
Brown said it has implemented enhanced security measures since the shooting, including doubling the staff of the university’s department of public safety and restricting entry to campus buildings.
The gunman had walked into an engineering building whose doors were unlocked while exams were taking place, according to police. He opened fire with a 9-millimeter firearm inside a classroom and then fled, triggering a campus lockdown that left students barricaded in rooms or hiding beneath furniture for hours, authorities have said.
The two students killed were Ella Cook, a sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama, and freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a Uzbekistan-born Virginian.
The department, along with the FBI, has released multiple videos and photos of a person of interest, who was seen walking in Providence before the attack. That individual, who appears to be male, is seen wearing a dark mask, hat, dark jacket, and dark pants.
Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying and speaking to the individual shown in these photos who was in proximity of the person of interest.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the tip line at 401-272-3121. pic.twitter.com/DJ26rruuc9
— Providence Police (@ProvidenceRIPD) December 17, 2025
While the person of interest’s face is covered, officials hope someone might recognize his body, gait, movements, or posture.
“Once we identify who this person is, I believe we’ll be able to locate him,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said during a Tuesday press conference. “It’s very hard to hide in this country.”
The FBI described the suspect as “approximately 5’8″ with a stocky build.” The law enforcement bureau announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest, capture, and conviction.
It’s not unprecedented for a high-profile police manhunt to take several days before a capture is announced. The brothers who detonated bombs at the Boston Marathon in 2013 were captured four days after the terrorist attack, while Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused in the assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive, eluded capture for five days.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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