OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
12:10 PM – Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Authorities are asking for the public’s help in identifying a person of interest connected to a shooting that took place at Brown University over the weekend. As the investigation stretches into day five, no suspects are in custody.
On Wednesday, the search for the person responsible for a shooting on Saturday afternoon at Brown University entered its fifth day, prompting authorities to release a timeline and new images and video footage of a person of interest who was “in proximity” to the believed murderer for the public to review.
Additionally, a video recently shared by law enforcement included a timeline of a heavy-set man who investigators believe committed the crime walking through a neighborhood near the Ivy League school’s campus on the morning of the shooting.
“We believe he was actually casing out this area, which is something that criminals do,” Perez reported.
The police chief asked residents in the neighborhood to look back at least a week prior for possible footage of the person of interest, who may have visited the area earlier.
He wore dark clothing and a black medical face mask, making him difficult to identify.
“Focus on the body movements, the way the person moved their arms, the body posture, the way they carry the weight,” said Perez. “I think those are important movement patterns that may help you identify this individual.”
Authorities estimated him to be about 5 feet, 8 inches tall.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the individual responsible for the attack.
On Saturday, Brown University initially reported on its website that a suspect was in custody, but retracted the statement later in the day. On Sunday, a person of interest had been taken into custody, but was released later in the day having been found to be uninvolved with the attack.
Two students were shot and killed in the shooting. They have been identified as Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman whose family moved from Uzbekistan to Virginia. Authorities had withheld their names until their families had been notified.
Cook was vice president of the Brown College Republicans chapter. Umurzokov aspired to become a neurosurgeon after he underwent brain surgery at 10 years old.
President Donald Trump shamed the school for not having enough surveillance video footage to catch the suspect.
“Why did Brown University have so few Security Cameras? There can be no excuse for that. In the modern age, it just doesn’t get worse!!!” Trump remarked on Truth social on Tuesday night.
Though Rhode Island Attorney General Paul Neronha confirmed that the campus has 1,200 cameras, the lack of camera footage and clear images has contributed to law enforcement’s beseeching of the public to help their search. Police said that they’ve received 200 tips so far.
“FBI continuing to work around the clock supporting Providence PD in their investigation… we will keep working day and night just like we have all year under @realDonaldTrump leadership,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on X Tuesday evening. “Continue praying for the Brown University community.”
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