Brown University shooting recap: See timeline as shooter still at large
· Yahoo NewsTwo days after the mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday, Dec. 13, the gunman remains at large and several private schools have announced closures.
On Sunday night, the "person of interest" originally detained was released by authorities, with Attorney General Peter Neronha saying that the "evidence now points in a different direction."
"We have a murderer out there, frankly," Neronha said.
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Two Brown students were killed in the shooting, Ella Cook and . Cook began attending Brown in 2024, according to her LinkedIn page, and was the vice president of the Brown Republicans.
Nine people were injured, including eight Brown students. On Sunday, Brown University President Christina Paxson said that seven of the students are in critical but stable condition but one remains in critical condition.
Developments in the mass shooting Saturday have unfolded rapidly over the past couple days. Here is a timeline of key moments:
Saturday, Dec. 13
4:05 p.m.: At least two people were killed and nine others were injured in a shooting at Brown University's Barus and Holley Engineering Building,184 Hope St., Providence.
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4:22 p.m.: Brown University issues an urgent alert: There's an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering. Lock doors, silence phones and stay hidden until further notice. Remember: RUN, if you are in the affected location, evacuate safely if you can; HIDE, if evacuation is not possible, take cover; FIGHT, as a last resort, take action to protect yourself. Stay tuned for further safety information.
5:11 p.m.: Brown issues second alert, urging to continue to shelter in place, stay away from Barus and Holley area; police searching for suspect; multiple law enforcement agencies on site; emergency medical on scene.
6:05 p.m.: Brown University releases statement confirming there have been “multiple” shooting victims and that exams were taking place between 2 and 5 p.m. in the Barus and Holley building. They urged the community to continue to shelter in place.
6:30 p.m.: Mayor Brett Smiley, along with police and fire officials, holds first news briefing about shooting, at the Brook Street fire station, 223 Brook St., just a few blocks from where the shooting took place. 6:33 p.m.
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6:33 p.m.: Brown releases a statement that two of the victims have died, and eight others are in critical but stable condition. The suspect is still at large, and the shelter in place order remains in effect. Anyone who was in Barus and Holley is urged to contact police.
7:30 p.m.: Brown alert says to continue to shelter in place.
7:38 p.m.: Brown President Christina Paxson confirms two from university “community” are dead. “This is a day that we hoped never would come to our community.” She urges all to contact family members to let them know they are safe. Confirms suspect still at large.
8:28 p.m.: Brown alert says lockdown still in place.
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9:29 p.m.: Brown alert says continue to shelter in place.
9:30 p.m.: Second news briefing is held. Brown University President Christina Paxson confirms that nine of victims, including the two victims who were killed, are Brown University students. Mayor Brett Smiley says that an additional victim had been identified, bringing the total to two dead and nine wounded. That victim fled the scene and only realized later that they had been wounded by shrapnel. Paxson, who had been on a plane to Washington, DC, as the shooting was unfolding and immediately flew back, said that she had been in touch with the families of the deceased. Officials confirmed during the press conference that the shooting occurred inside a classroom on the first floor of the Barus and Holley Building, though Paxson could not speak to what was happening in that classroom.
10:30 p.m.: Providence Police Department releases a video that they believe shows the shooting suspect leaving the Brown University mass shooting scene, walking down Hope Street, and turning the corner. They say he is in his 30s and he’s wearing dark clothing.
10:45 p.m.: Rachel Friedberg, a Brown economics professor, said in an interview with Ocean State Media, that the shooting took place in a review session, led by a teaching assistant, ahead of the final exam of her Principles of Economics course. “The room has stadium seating with doors that enter at the top,” Friedberg said. “[Her teaching assistant] said that the shooter came in the doors, yelled something — he couldn’t remember what he yelled — and started shooting.”
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11:06 p.m.: Brown University announced in an 11:06 p.m. alert that law enforcement agencies would begin evacuating non-residential buildings on campus. Brown alert outlines the area where law enforcement agencies have established a perimeter around a portion of Brown’s campus. Individuals in residential buildings within the perimeter are told to continue to shelter in place there. Police will enter all administrative (non-residential) buildings within the perimeter marked by the red boxes on the map to escort all individuals to safe locations outside of the perimeter.
11:15 p.m.: Third news briefing is held. In what he described as the last regular update of the evening, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley emphasized that law enforcement has not received any additional credible information that there’s any ongoing threat. He said that while he understands that people may want to cancel their plans, or their events, he said he did not feel it was necessary.
Sunday, Dec. 14
3:45 a.m.: Brian Todd, a correspondent for CNN, said that he was not at the hotel – the Hampton Inn in Coventry - but a member of his team was there at the time of the detention. It was at “roughly” 3:45 a.m., he said. The CNN employee “just heard this real flurry of activity and saw law-enforcement officers converge on a room.”
5:42 a.m.: Brown University announces that the shelter in place order ended for the entire Brown campus. However, police activity would continue in areas that are still considered an active crime scene.
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7:00 a.m.: Providence Mayor Brett Smiley says the order has ended for everyone in the Brown area as well. Providence Police confirms a person of interest is in custody, after being apprehended at the Hampton Inn in Coventry.
8:15 a.m.: Brown President Christina Paxson sends update to Brown community that seven of the students are in critical but stable condition, but one remains in critical condition. She estimates a couple thousand students were transported overnight by law enforcement from areas across campus that were part of the police perimeter, to a place where they could rest and receive any necessary resources.
8:24 a.m.: Brown sends alert that final exams are canceled.
4:45 p.m. : NBC News and the Washington Post, citing officials briefed on the investigation, named the person of interest. This matches a name the Journal has learned off the record. He has not been charged and has not been named as a suspect in the shooting. His possible connection to Brown University was not immediately clear.
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10:30 p.m. Ella Cook identified as one of two victims of the shooting.
10:45 p.m.: Authorities say that the "person of interest" detained in the Brown University shooting is being released. Mayor Brett Smiley encouraged anyone with information on the shooting to contact the police and acknowledged that the news was likely “to cause fresh anxiety.”
Monday, Dec. 15, 2024
Early morning: A number of private schools in the vicinity of Brown University announce they are closed Monday.
8 a.m.: Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov identified as the second victim of the shooting.
Editor's note: Multiple outlets, citing officials briefed on the investigation, reported the person of interest's identity. The Providence Journal is no longer naming the person as they were neither named a suspect in the shooting nor charged.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Recap of Brown University shooting: Timeline of events through Monday