Brown investigators slammed for new video of shooting suspect

Investigators seeking the man who murdered two and injured nine at Brown University on Saturday night have been slammed for their job so far.

During a press conference Monday evening,  Rhode Island authorities released new surveillance footage and images of the person they think is their suspect.

The clip showed a masked and hooded man walking near the campus around 2pm Saturday, about two hours before shots rang out. 

The FBI has called 'armed and dangerous.' The agency is now offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the individual's arrest. 

The new footage came just hours after the FBI released a clip of a shadowy figure that left many furious over its lack of clarity.  

That clip, filmed one street and a parking lot away from the figure, showed the person striding along the sidewalk as dusk began to settle on Saturday afternoon. 

At no point is the person's face visible - and for the majority of the 18-second clip, the man completely blends into the dark hedge in his background.

With the horrific mass shooting having happened nearly 50 hours ago, members of the Rhode Island community are questioning the investigators' efforts.

It comes after FBI agents and cops detained a 'person of interest' identified as Benjamin Erickson, 24, hours after the attack on Saturday - but he was later released. 

As of Monday afternoon, authorities have no suspect in custody. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha said the Wisconsin man who was in custody for most of Sunday 'is not a person of interest at all at this point.'

Fury has mounted across Rhode Island, with fingers being pointed at FBI's Kash Patel and local law enforcement for failing to track down a suspect. 

People have been sharing outrage online as well. On Facebook, one user wote: 'Providence Police are now releasing Benjamin Erickson from custody. This is called incompetence. Shooter still at large.'

'What a joke! Keystone cops?!' another user wrote in reference to an old movie about incompetent policemen.

'They detained the wrong guy, leaked his name, smeared his service to our country in the Army, and then say “oops”. Absolute clown show in Rhode Island,' a third user began.

'The Rhode Island Attorney General is now apologizing for the false detention of Benjamin Erickson, stating it was “unfortunate” that his name was allowed to be leaked to the public. It’s “unfortunate” any of these people have jobs,' the user concluded.

Erickson, an Army sniper, was taken into custody for questioning about the shooting that killed two Ivy League students on Sunday.

However, within hours of his name being leaked to the public, authorities disclosed at a hastily-convened 11pm press conference that he would be freed. 

'We have a murderer out there,' said Attorney General Peter Neronha, while Providence Mayor Brett Smiley acknowledged that 'the news is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community.'

Smiley was right, as the news that the shooter is still at large has caused a series of false alarms on the Brown campus, as well as much of Providence and other parts of the state, since the manhunt resumed on Sunday night.

Police looked into reports of an armed man at a mall in Warwick early this morning, but nothing came of it. 

Theo Coben, 19, a Brown sophomore who sheltered in a bathroom on campus during the shooting, told the New York Times: 'Everyone’s on edge.'

As of Monday afternoon, FBI agents were actively combing through the Providence area searching for any bit of evidence they could use to further their investigation.

Video taken by Fox News shows agents pushing snow around with their feet as they look for anything the shooter may have dropped.

Eric Daugherty, a conservative reporter, posted a clip of the video to X and wrote: 'Could be a LONG way to go. At this point, the suspect could've gotten very far.'

Although they haven't been vocal about it thus far, none may be more frustrated about the investigation's lack of results than the families of the victims.

The identities of the two students who were killed in the shooting have been released. Ella Cook, 19, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, are both remembered as bright and hardworking by their families.

The identity of one of the injured has also been released. Kendall Turner, 19, is in critical but stable condition after receiving surgery Saturday night, according to an email sent to her high school's community.