Police to Release Person of Interest in Brown University Shooting as Evidence Points in Different Direction

A person of interest detained in Saturday’s Brown University shooting is being released without charges. Two people were killed and nine were injured in the shooting.

There are currently no suspects in custody.

“We will be releasing the person of interest who had been detained earlier today,” Mayor Brett Smiley said late Sunday, according to WJAR-TV.

He said the wider Providence, Rhode Island, community was not at risk from the release.

“Ever since the initial call a day and a half ago, we have not received any credible or specific threats to the Providence community,” he said. “We believe you remain safe in our community.”

Attorney General Peter Neronha said releasing the person initially detailed at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, does not mean police will fail to solve the case.

“This is what these investigations look like,” Neronha said. “Sometimes you head in one direction and then you have to regroup and go in another.”

“There was some degree of evidence that pointed to this individual, but that evidence needs to be corroborated and confirmed,” Neronha said, adding that police followed the evidence in releasing the person of interest.

“We did our thorough investigation, examined, ended up drafting some search warrants, came up with some evidence, but that evidence was examined and we didn’t have enough, obviously, to be able to prosecute anybody and so the person was released,” Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said.

“Investigations will tell us if something is valid or not, whether something needs to be ruled out,” Perez said. “It’s not a mistake; it’s just how investigations work.”

Smiley said that as police pursue ne leads, they will go door to door in the neighborhood where the shooting took place, according to The Providence Journal.

The mayor said police will be seeking additional video evidence because nothing “actionable” came from within the college building where the shooting took place.

🚨 BREAKING: A manhunt is now full-steam ahead this morning after police RELEASED Brown University shooting person of interest Benjamin Erickson.

Evidence now “points in a different direction.”

This is a total MESS. pic.twitter.com/WlEk4Ab7Ch

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 15, 2025

Brown University urged vigilance, but noted there is an increased police presence around the college and in the community, according to Fox News.

“As Providence police continue to lead this investigation, they have informed Brown that they are continuing their search efforts, which includes ongoing coordination with multiple agencies,” the message to students said.

“There continues to be a heightened amount of local, state and federal police activity in the area as law enforcement continues to investigate and patrol with increased vigilance,” the message added.

“We continue to make every effort to ensure the safety and security of the campus,” the message said. “We are also advising every member of the Brown community to be vigilant in their own activities on campus.”

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