Law enforcement officials in Providence, Rhode Island, investigating last weekend's deadly shooting at Brown University have identified a suspect, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.
WFXT-TV in Boston reported Thursday that there was law enforcement activity in Massachusetts and Salem, New Hampshire, related to the manhunt for the shooter and that an arrest warrant was issued. The FBI is involved in the search and the activity is based in or near the Boston area. A witness reported on X that several police helicopters were spotted near State Route 24 in Brockton, Massachusetts.
Investigators learned of the suspect's identity late Wednesday night, with some reports saying a male in his 40s. Authorities have been searching for him since. The suspect's name has not been released.
Police are investigating possible ties between the shooting at Brown University on Dec. 13 and Monday's fatal shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Investigators are searching for the individual and a car that the person is believed to have rented, an official told The New York Times. The authorities believe the rented vehicle is the same make and model of a car identified in connection with the shooting of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, who was pronounced dead Tuesday morning.
An alert issued to the police in the Boston area directed officers to look for the car, and warned that anyone in it could be armed, dangerous and wanted in connection with the Brookline homicide. The alert did not mention the shooting at Brown.
The attack at Brown left two people dead and nine others injured. It triggered hours of chaos across the campus and surrounding neighborhoods as hundreds of officers searched for the shooter and urged students and staff to shelter in place.
Investigators have released a video timeline showing a person of interest's movements near the scene of the shooting.
Authorities are also urging residents who live in a wide swath of the city to double-check their cameras for any trace of clues, no matter how small.
On Wednesday, investigators released an "areas of focus" map showing three zones. They said the map charts the movements of the person of interest immediately before and after the shooting.
Police also said Thursday that a man was captured on camera "in proximity" to the suspect was interviewed by law enforcement, WPRI-TV in Providence reported. Police don’t believe the man was involved in the attack, saying he told them he confronted the suspected gunman outside Brown before the shooting, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the investigation said.
Officials on Wednesday also said that of the nine people injured, one remains in critical condition. Five people previously listed in critical but stable condition remain hospitalized and are making progress in their recovery. Three others who were hospitalized have returned home to be with their families, officials said.
The shooter killed Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore from Alabama who was very involved in her church and served as vice president of the Brown College Republicans, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman from Virginia whose family immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan and who hoped to go to medical school.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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