At a 5 p.m. press conference on Monday, authorities shared three new videos and two photos of a suspect in the investigation into Saturday’s shooting, which left two students dead after an individual opened fire in a Barus and Holley classroom.
The new footage and images were taken “from the area of Hope Street, near Benevolent and Manning (streets),” said Providence Chief of Police Oscar Perez. He added that the footage they shared was from around 2 p.m. on Saturday, approximately two hours before the shooting.
The Herald reviewed the videos and photos the Providence Police Department shared on X shortly after the press conference.
The first video, taken at 2:08 p.m., shows a man in dark clothing, a black beanie and a black mask pacing and looking around outside the Rhode Island Historical Society on Benevolent Street.
In the second video, taken at 2:52 p.m., the individual can be seen crossing Cooke Street. He appears to be heading west along Manning Street, in the direction of Brown’s campus. The video shows him one block away from Barus and Holley.
The third video shows the individual walking west on Manning Street, on the block between Cooke and Hope streets, in the direction of the University. The video was taken at 2:53 p.m., one minute after the previous video, and shows the individual less than one block away from Barus and Holley.
The two photos show the individual walking along the corner of Hope and Benevolent streets. Both photos were taken at 2:18 p.m. The individual is wearing the same outfit as in the videos, with his face mostly covered.
Corner of Hope and Benevolent streets, photos taken at 2:18 p.m. on Dec. 13, publicly released Dec. 15. Courtesy of the Providence Police Department
“The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5-foot-8 with a stocky build,” according to a wanted poster for the individual released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The poster also reiterated the FBI’s continued requests for the public to share photos and videos through their tip line.
Ted Docks, the special agent in charge for the Boston Field Office of the FBI, said “the FBI is now offering a reward of $50,000 for information that can lead to the identification, the arrest and the conviction of the individual responsible, who we believe to be armed and dangerous.”
“We’re asking everyone in Rhode Island and beyond to review the new images of the suspect, share them on social media and come forward if you have any information,” Docks added. He emphasized that “no amount of information is too small or irrelevant.”
Perez said the police believe the weapon used by the gunman is a small-caliber, nine-millimeter firearm. In response to a question from a reporter asking if the attack specifically targeted the classroom in Barus and Holley where the shooting occurred, Perez said that the gunman “definitely targeted Brown University.”
Analysts from Quantico, Docks said, “are documenting the trajectories of the bullets to reconstruct the scene.” He described these efforts as “painstaking.”
“We’re asking the public to be patient as we continue to run down every lead,” Docks said.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha P’19 P’22 said that it was “really unfortunate” that the name of the individual formerly considered a person of interest and detained was “leaked.” He stressed the importance of specific language used by officials and law enforcement.
“He has been cleared. He is not a person of interest any longer,” Neronha said. “It’s hard to put that name back in the bottle.”
At the conference, Mayor Brett Smiley said that “Providence remains a very safe city.” He said that law enforcement presence has been increased in coordination with local, state and federal partners.
He noted that the Providence Public School District remained open on Monday and that law enforcement was “able to provide coverage” to local schools.
“We’ll have school tomorrow in Providence,” Smiley said. Although Providence parents should “do what’s right for their family,” Smiley encouraged them to send their children to school. He added that law enforcement would be present “at drop-off and pickup times, to provide that extra sense of safety and security for our families.”
“We are reassessing all safety issues in all our schools,” Gov. Dan McKee said, adding that the state is coordinating social and mental health services to support Rhode Island students.
Smiley also acknowledged the vigil organized by the Providence City Council at Lippitt Memorial Park on Sunday.
“Last night was 10 degrees, it was loosely organized, and yet hundreds of people came out because they wanted to be with one another,” he said. “They were hugging their neighbors and crying, and they were offering each other support.”
In the Providence community, “we’re all two degrees of separation from one another,” so the incident feels “very real and very personal,” Smiley said.
Local communities must proceed “one step at a time,” he said. “Today’s one of those steps.”
Annika Singh is The Herald’s tech chief and a metro editor from Singapore. She covers crime, justice and local politics, but mainly she stands in line for coffee and looks up answers every time she attempts a crossword.
Ian Ritter is a university news and science & research editor, covering graduate schools and students. He is a junior concentrating in chemistry. When he isn’t at The Herald or exploding lab experiments, you can find him playing the clarinet or watching the Mets.
