• Benjamin Erickson detained Sunday morning at Rhode Island hotel, released by evening
• Two dead, nine injured in Saturday shooting at engineering building during finals week
• Officials say evidence now points elsewhere as search resumes for actual gunman

PROVIDENCE, RI (TDR) — The search for the gunman who killed two Brown University students and injured nine others entered its third day Monday after authorities made the stunning decision to release the person of interest they detained less than 24 hours earlier. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced late Sunday that evidence “now points in a different direction,” forcing investigators to restart their manhunt for the actual shooter who remains at large.

Army Veteran Detained and Released Within Hours

Benjamin Erickson, a 24-year-old Wisconsin native and decorated Army veteran, was taken into custody Sunday morning at a Hampton Inn in Coventry, Rhode Island, approximately 17 miles from the Providence campus. The FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team used cellphone data to geolocate Erickson, leading to his apprehension around 3:45 a.m. by the FBI Boston Safe Streets Task Force with assistance from U.S. Marshals.

Law enforcement seized two handguns from Erickson’s hotel room along with two loaded 30-round magazines, according to sources briefed on the investigation. Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez had earlier expressed confidence that authorities had detained the suspected gunman, stating that charges could be filed within hours.

Investigation Restarts as Community Remains on Edge

“We have a murderer out there, frankly.”

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That stark assessment from Attorney General Neronha underscored the gravity of the situation facing Providence and the Brown University community. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley acknowledged the release would “likely cause fresh anxiety” but assured residents that no new shelter-in-place order was being recommended despite the continued threat.

The shooting occurred Saturday afternoon at the Barus and Holley building, which houses the School of Engineering and Physics Department. Surveillance footage captured a person dressed in black fleeing the scene, though the video did not reveal the suspect’s face. Authorities say this footage remains the “most useful” evidence in tracking down the Brown University shooter, though investigators have acknowledged frustration over the lack of clear facial images.

Campus Cancels Finals as Students Cope with Tragedy

Brown University Provost Francis Doyle announced the cancellation of all remaining final exams, classes, and assignments for the fall 2025 semester. The Ivy League institution has more than doubled its security staffing following the deadly attack, though officials maintain there is no immediate threat to campus.

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Mayor Smiley met with hospitalized victims Sunday, describing their conditions as varied. One student told him that active shooter drills from high school had helped during the attack—a statement Smiley called simultaneously hopeful and heartbreaking. Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee ordered flags lowered to half-staff to honor the victims.

Students have created a makeshift memorial outside the Barus and Holley building, leaving flowers and candles—many in Brown’s colors of red and white—in front of a student-designed sculpture named “Infinite Possibility.” The Washington Post reports the campus community remains vigilant as the investigation continues.

Will the dramatic reversal in this investigation shake public confidence in law enforcement’s handling of active shooter cases?

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