Person of interest in custody after fatal Brown University shooting, official says

(NEW YORK) — A person of interest was taken into custody early Sunday in connection with the fatal shooting at Brown University, according to Kristy DosReis, a spokesperson for the Providence Police Department.

The person in custody was caught about 3:45 p.m. at a hotel in Coventry, R.I., about 28 miles south of Providence, according to law enforcement sources and Coventry police.

At the time the person was detained, the individual was allegedly in possession of two guns, according to sources.

“We have detained a person of interest,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said at a Sunday-morning news conference. “We are lifting the shelter-in-place.”

Rhode Island law enforcement authorities said no one else is being sought in the shooting that occurred Saturday on the Ivy League campus, which killed two people and injured nine, according to officials.

The residents of Providence can “breathe a little easier,” Smiley said.

A tip from the public led police to the location where the person of interest was detained, according to sources.

A federal source told ABC News the person was only being called a person of interest at this point, but added that they were confident they were on the right track.

The person in custody is not a student at the university, sources familiar with the situation said.

The person was detained hours after the mass shooting on Saturday on the school’s East Side campus. Two students were shot and killed and another nine were transported to local hospitals with injuries amid a day of “devastating gun violence,” Christina H. Paxson, the university’s president, said in a statement posted just prior to 2 a.m. ET.

“Our hearts go out to them. This is a day of tremendous sorrow,” Paxson said. “No parent or family member should ever have to endure a day like this.”

Eight of the nine who had been injured remained in the hospital on Sunday morning, officials said, adding that seven of them were in stable condition and one was in critical but stable condition.

A shelter-in-place order that had been put into effect for the university’s College Hill campus was lifted early Sunday by Providence Police, the school said in a 5:42 a.m. ET alert to students, adding that “police activity continues in areas that are still considered an active crime scene.”

The fatal shooting on Saturday on the city’s East Side came as students across the College Hill area were getting ready for or taking exams ahead of the winter break.

The shooting took place at the school’s Barus & Holley building, where engineering and physics classes are held, on Hope Street, officials said.

The shooting took place in a lecture hall during a final exam review, according to Paxson.

The FBI and other law enforcement officials had shared a short video clip of someone whom they described as a person of interest. The person in the clip could be seen dressed in dark clothing, including what appeared to be a hood, as they walk along Hope Street and take a corner headed north.

The person’s right hand appeared to be in their jacket pocket as they walked northward along Waterman Street before exiting from the frame.

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