A 24-year-old man named Benjamin Erickson from Wisconsin has been identified as the “person of interest” in the deadly shooting at Brown University that killed two students, CNN reported citing law enforcements. He was taken into custody on Sunday at a hotel in Rhode Island. The shooting was carried out on the campus during final exams at the end of the school year. Authorities said that apart from the two students who were killed, nine others were injured.
Who is Benjamin Erickson?
According to CNN, police have not publicly identified the person of interest. However, several law enforcement sources told the news outlet that the person is indeed Benjamin Erickson. On Sunday afternoon, CNN reporters saw FBI agents at a home in Wisconsin owned by Erickson’s family. Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said authorities are not looking for any other suspects right now.
NBC News reported that a military spokesperson confirmed Erickson previously served in the U.S. Army. Lieutenant Colonel Ruth Castro said he worked as an infantry soldier from May 2021 until November 2024. She also said he was never deployed and left the Army with the rank of specialist.
How did authorities catch Erickson?
CNN reported that investigators tracked Erickson to a hotel in Coventry. The report citing sources aid that the officers knocked loudly on the hotel room door and demanded for Erickson to come out. After entering the room, police asked him where he had been earlier that day and evening. Erickson told them he had stayed at the hotel the entire time.
According to CNN’s sources, police found two guns in the room. These included a revolver and a small Glock handgun that had a laser attached. Multiple federal law enforcement sources confirmed the discovery.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team used cellphone data to find Erickson’s location.
Authorities release suspect’s video
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said that seven of the people hurt at Brown University were in stable condition. One person was still listed as critical but stable, and another had already been released from the hospital.
The shelter-in-place orders for the University and nearby neighborhoods were lifted on Sunday. Earlier that day, Smiley warned residents that they would see a strong police presence throughout the city.
Officials said the shooter ran away after opening fire on students inside a classroom in Brown’s Barus & Holley engineering and physics building. The building’s outside doors were unlocked at the time because exams were being held.
Authorities on Saturday released a short video showing a person of interest wearing black clothing near the engineering building. Providence Deputy Police Chief Timothy O’Hara said the person may have been wearing a mask, but police were not fully sure.
Brown University President Christina Paxson told reporters that almost all of those injured were students. She said the incident was something no one ever wants to experience, but it had happened.