It’s been over 48 hours since a gunman walked into an engineering building at Brown University, opened fire on students studying for finals, killed two people, injured nine more — and somehow, we’re still at square one. That’s right. The person of interest who was being held? Released. The actual shooter? Still out there. And the official response? A cocktail of press conferences, shifting narratives, and a whole lot of “we’re working on it.”
On Sunday, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha announced that the individual police had detained was no longer considered a suspect. According to him, while there was “some degree of evidence” initially pointing toward the person, it wasn’t enough to hold them — and now, the investigation has “shifted in a different direction.” Translation: wrong guy. Back to the drawing board.
And as if that wasn’t enough of a mess, Neronha took a moment to scold the media for reporting the name of the person of interest. He called it “unfortunate,” said it’s “hard to put that back in the bottle,” and reminded everyone that this is a sensitive investigation. Fair enough — but maybe that’s what happens when your press briefings sound more like a game of Clue than an update on a deadly shooting at an Ivy League campus.
Let’s not forget, when this person of interest was first picked up, Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez stood in front of cameras and confidently declared that authorities weren’t looking for anyone else. Fast forward to now, and the department has quietly admitted that the person they were holding was not the same person seen on the surveillance video they themselves released. You’d think, after all this time and tragedy, they’d have the right suspect before telling the public, “we got him.”
Meanwhile, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley tried to reassure everyone that there is “no ongoing threat” to the community. That’s always comforting — except for the part where the shooter is still on the loose, nobody knows where he is, and the public is being asked to “remain calm” because apparently no new “credible threats” have surfaced. Tell that to students who just watched their study session turn into a war zone.
BREAKING: Brown University mass shooter yelled “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire on campus according to sources.
How come the media is suppressing eye witness testimony about how the shooter at Brown University allegedly shouted Allahu Akbar before he opened fire on campus the… pic.twitter.com/72pVj9kbUe
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) December 14, 2025
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee also joined the parade of podiums, noting that he spoke with FBI Director Kash Patel before Sunday’s press conference. Patel, according to McKee, confirmed that federal resources will remain in place during the investigation. Good — because based on the current progress, they’re going to need every federal eye, ear, and satellite available.
What’s truly frustrating here — aside from the horror of the attack itself — is the total inability of leadership to provide clarity, certainty, or even a coherent timeline. In just two days, we’ve gone from “we’re not looking for anyone else,” to “actually, we released the guy,” to “we don’t know where the shooter is, but there’s no threat, so relax.” It’s a masterclass in confusion.
NEW: Brown University sophomore Ella Cook, identified as one of the shooting victims, was “a devoted Christian and a committed conservative.”
The announcement was made during a service at Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama.
“Some of you haven’t heard a lot of… pic.twitter.com/iSHUKodhZy
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 15, 2025
And of course, don’t hold your breath waiting for certain media outlets to ask tough questions about how this was handled. You won’t hear many national headlines talking about the breakdown in communication or the fact that a mass shooting on a left-leaning Ivy League campus somehow disappeared from the cycle as fast as it happened.
🚨 BREAKING: A manhunt is now full-steam ahead this morning after police RELEASED Brown University shooting person of interest Benjamin Erickson.
Evidence now “points in a different direction.”
This is a total MESS. pic.twitter.com/WlEk4Ab7Ch
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 15, 2025
For now, students are back in their dorms, parents are still in shock, and law enforcement is hunting for a shooter who walked in, pulled the trigger, and vanished into thin air. But hey — at least we got a few carefully worded statements and the comforting promise that they’ll “proceed carefully.”
Meanwhile, the victims’ families wait for justice. And the rest of us are left wondering: how does this keep happening — and how is this the best we can do?
