Tags: donald trump | brown university | security | cameras | shooting | investigators

Trump: 'No Excuse' for Brown's Lack of Security Cameras

By    |   Wednesday, 17 December 2025 08:56 AM EST

President Donald Trump said there's "no excuse" for the lack of security cameras at Brown University, where two students were fatally shot during the weekend.

"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 wrote on Truth Social during Wednesday's first hour.

Trump's blunt critique is landing amid a widening debate over how an Ivy League campus with extensive security infrastructure still ended up with investigators pleading for the public to supply basic video that could help identify a masked suspect.

Authorities in Providence, Rhode Island, have asked residents and businesses to check doorbell cameras, dashcams, and private systems for any footage that might show a stocky suspect believed to have walked around the area for about an hour before and after the attack near Brown University's engineering building.

Investigators have said they still lack a clear image of the gunman's face because in available clips the suspect is masked or turned away.

Police have received roughly 200 tips, but officials have not announced an identification or arrest.

The absence of a definitive interior image has fueled pointed questions about campus readiness.

Brown University President Christina H. Paxson has said the university maintains about 1,200 cameras, while law enforcement officials say none has produced clear footage of the shooter inside the building.

In a moment that underscored the stakes of the missing footage, Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez urged the public to review camera systems in the area for even a fleeting clue that could break the case.

A separate account described an atmosphere of anxiety as the manhunt stretched on, with heightened security measures and disruptions across the community.

ABC6 described increased police presence and residents on edge as authorities continued to seek usable video.

The victims have been identified as Ella Cook, 19, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18.

Cook was active in campus life, including as vice president of the Brown College Republicans, a detail that has intensified calls from conservatives for transparency and accountability as investigators work to determine motive.

Trump's message taps into a broader law-and-order argument: When campuses can spend lavishly on bureaucracy and messaging, they should be able to deliver the basics — locks that work, controlled access, and camera coverage that actually helps catch criminals.

With the suspect still at large, the president's warning is likely to sharpen scrutiny on Brown University's security decisions, not just in Providence but at universities nationwide.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Charlie McCarthy

Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


Politics
President Donald Trump said there's "no excuse" for the lack of security cameras at Brown University, where two students were fatally shot during the weekend.
donald trump, brown university, security, cameras, shooting, investigators
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2025-56-17
Wednesday, 17 December 2025 08:56 AM
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