Authorities release person of interest in Brown University shooting, Benjamin Erickson of Wisconsin, say they have wrong suspect and shooter continues to remain at large.
A 24-year-old Wisconsin man initially identified as a “person of interest” in the Saturday, Dec. 13, mass shooting at Brown University has been released from custody — and the real shooter is still on the run.
Col. Oscar Perez of the Providence Police Department said at a press conference on Sunday evening that an individual taken into custody early Sunday and initially identified as a person of interest, Benjamin Erickson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, had been released after authorities said they did not find enough evidence to charge him with a crime.
Authorities reiterated that Erickson was no longer a person of interest in the case.
Not enough evidence pointed to man in custody as likely shooter
‘We want to inform the community that that individual will shortly be released from Providence Police,’ Mayor Brett Smiley said in a surprise briefing that took place 11 p.m. on the night of Sunday, Dec. 14, the Providence Journal reported.
Investigators are now once again searching for the person who was seen dressed in all black and captured in surveillance video ‘calmly’ walking down a street on campus after shooting and killing 2 and injuring nine at an engineering building on campus.
When asked why authorities were still unable to locate any other persons of interest in the shooting 36 hours after the attack, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha said there were not many video cameras located in the building where the shooting took place.
He also said that all video footage from the school’s campus had been reviewed at this time and that none of those videos captured the killer’s face.
‘If we had that video, you’d have it. If we could show you a face and say this is our person of interest or suspect, you’d have it,’ Neronha said.
Who and where is the Brown University shooter? And will authorities be able to locate suspect?
Officials said they will continue to search for additional video footage and evidence and will meet with federal authorities to plan the next phase of their search. ‘The fact of the matter is that law enforcement has the tools necessary to solve this case,’ Neronha said.
The shooting occurred at around 4 p.m. on Saturday when a masked man armed with a rifle entered a building on the Brown University campus and opened fire in the hallway of the Barus and Holley Engineering building.
He then entered a classroom where approximately 60 students were preparing to leave after attending a two-hour study session for an upcoming economics exam.
A number of individuals who were in that classroom told authorities that the gunman shouted an unintelligible statement and then began shooting students.
In the end, two students were killed and nine injured. One of the injured students is still in critical condition.
