Person in custody is in his 20s, officials say
Providence police chief Col Oscar Perez has said the person of interest in custody is in his 20s, not in his 30s as officials stated earlier on Sunday.
Updated at 12.37 EST
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Earlier on Sunday, Georgia senator Raphael Warnock urged people to find “common humanity” after a deadly shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, Warnock said: “I can tell you that as a pastor who has presided over many funerals, I don’t think that there’s any pain deeper than when nature is violently reversed and rather than children burying their parents, the parent has to bury the child. And so we pray prayers for these families.”
Warnock, who pushed Congress to pass more gun control legislation after two students and two teachers at a high school in his home state of Georgia were shot to death in 2024, went on to call for action after yet another mass shooting at an education facility in America.
He told NBC: “We have to pray not only with our lips, but with our action. Any nation that tolerates this kind of violence year after year, decade after decade in random places on our college and school campuses without doing all that we can to stop it is broken and in need of moral repair.”
SharePolice chief declines to say if person of interest was connected to university
During the press conference, Providence police chief Col Oscar Perez declined to say if the person of interest had any connection to Brown University.
“I’m not ready to confirm or comment on any of that,” Perez told reporters. “Again, I got to respect the process, and so at this point, we’re just going to continue, like the mayor stated. It’s complex, but we want to make sure that we have a successful prosecution.”
Updated at 12.42 EST
Providence police chief Col Oscar Perez said at this moment an eventual case against a shooting suspect is being treated as a state prosecution, rather than a federal one.
SharePerson in custody is in his 20s, officials say
Providence police chief Col Oscar Perez has said the person of interest in custody is in his 20s, not in his 30s as officials stated earlier on Sunday.
Updated at 12.37 EST
Police refused to comment on a social media post by FBI director Kash Patel that claimed the arrest of a person of interest was based on a lead from Providence police.
Writing on X, Patel said the FBI “established a command post to intake, develop and analyze leads, and run them to ground. We activated the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, to provide critical geolocation capabilities.
“As a result, early this morning, FBI Boston’s Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the @USMarshalsHQ & the @Coventry_RI_PD, detained a person of interest in a hotel room in Coventry, RI, based off a lead by the @ProvidenceRIPD.
“We have deployed local and national resources to process and reconstruct the shooting scene – providing HQ and Lab elements on scene. We set up a digital media intake portal to ingest images and video from the public related to this incident.
“And the FBI’s victim specialists are fully integrating with our partners to provide resources to victims and survivors of this horrific violence. This FBI will continue an all out 24/7 campaign until justice is fully served. Thanks to the men and women of the FBI and our partners for their continued teamwork. Please continue praying for the victims and their families – as well as all those at Brown University.
Mayor Brett Smiley says he won’t share names of the victims yet as he believes some of their families have not yet been contacted because they might be travelling for the holidays.
He adds that bringing the person responsible for the shooting to justice is the top priority for officials. He reiterates the reason he’s not sharing unconfirmed information so as to not compromise any future prosecution.
Updated at 12.22 EST
Col Oscar Perez refused to say whether the person in custody is the same person as the one seen in surveillance footage released on Saturday night.
Perez declined to comment on whether officials had found the gun used in the attack.
Updated at 12.44 EST
Col Oscar Perez was asked whether officials had been able to establish any connection between the suspects and the university or find out why the suspect targeted the university.
Perez said: “So that’s all part of the investigation that we’re conducting. And again, it’s, it’s complex.”
ShareProvidence police chief declines to name any suspect
Police chief Col Oscar Perez addresses reporters and says he is aware of speculation around a suspect’s name. He says he is not ready to provide a name or names.
He told reporters the “investigation continues to progress extremely fast” He added: We’re in the process of collecting evidence and seizing items that we need to seize such location that we need to search.”
Updated at 12.15 EST
Mayor Smiley went on to say he visited victims of the attack and their families in hospital on Sunday.
He thanked the medical staff at Brown Health and Rhode Island Hospital, saying: “These folks, just like our law enforcement professionals, have been up all night working. But the level of care and professionalism that they’re exhibiting is extraordinary.
“These survivors received an excellent care. And the resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me is, frankly, pretty overwhelming. It pales in comparison what they’ve gone through for the rest of us here. We’re all saddened and scared and tired.
“But what they’ve been through something entirely different. And yet they showed courage and hope and gratitude for how this community has stood up for them, and how the health care providers care for them.”
Mayor Brett Smiley says the community would now turn “our attention to caring for our neighbors”.
He pointed to a website set up by the city of Providence where the community find resources for mental health care.
He said a vigil would be held at 5pm ET at Olympic Park, where there had been plans to light a Christmas tree and to light a menorah for the first night of Hanukkah.
He said: “And for those who know at least a little bit of a Hanukkah story, it is quite clear that if we can come together as a community and shine a little bit of light, if there’s nothing better that we could be doing this community.”
Updated at 12.25 EST
Providence mayor Brett Smiley begins the press conference. He starts by praising the level of collaboration between law enforcement agencies.
He says there is no update to share on the investigation, that the investigation is ongoing and that officials are cooperating with law enforcement agencies.
He said he would not share any information that could jeopardize the investigation or compromise any future charges.
Updated at 12.03 EST
The person in custody after the Brown University shooting had two firearms with them when they were detained, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN.
The exact type of firearms remains unclear.