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Tag: Rhode Island

  • Lawmakers Seek Quieter Ads and Less … Free Speech?

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    State lawmakers are telling streamers to shhhhhh their ads. Online gamblers are flooding Florida help lines now that sports betting is legal. Some Sunshine State lawmakers want to target people based on their speech. The mighty state of Vermont steps up to help snowbound neighbors.

    As we mention here regularly, Decision Points primarily focuses on national and international news. But we also occasionally deliver a roundup of local, regional or under-the-radar news with a political dimension – something unusual or interesting, or that may illustrate a broader trend.

    Our guiding principle is that the definition of politics includes how a society organizes itself to allocate finite or scarce resources, manage internal disagreements and blunt external threats.

    Here’s this week’s look ‘round.

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    Netflix and Chill, Meet Hulu and Hush?

    Federal law stipulates that broadcast, cable and satellite advertisements can’t be louder than the programming they interrupt. Streamers are not subject to the same rules … for now. Via the always amazing Pluribus News, I learned this week that several states are trying to make the same rule apply across the board.

    “The bills in Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia follow the passage of a first-in-the-nation California law last year,” Pluribus reported. “There is also federal legislation.”

    Not a lot is getting through Congress these days, so states are stepping in on a range of policy issues. Streaming ad volume may not seem like an emergency, but it is a quality of life issue.

    Florida Bets on Gambling Help

    Via the Tampa Bay Times, we learn that calls to Florida’s problem gambling help line have more than doubled since the state legalized sports wagers in 2023.

    Last year, more than 2,400 Floridians sought help from the service provided by the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling, 1,400 for help with online gambling, making that the top reason for reaching out.

    In previous years, electronic machines like slots were the main cause of calls, the Tampa Bay Times said.

    • Sports betting is the primary problem, 73% of online gamblers told the council.
    • Callers are getting younger. Two-thirds are under 30, and the number under 21 has soared since sports betting was legalized.
    • “Almost half of those calling about sports betting reported having lost more than $25,000. Nearly 1 in 4 reported losing more than $100,000,” the newspaper said.

    Legalizing betting from basically anywhere, especially on sports, appears to be fueling a boom in gambling. And gambling creates a winner and a loser. Is this a public policy problem yet?

    Targeting Speech in ‘Free’ Florida?

    Via WGCU News comes word of sweeping state legislation that, at least at first blush, would seem to target people for surveillance based on their speech.

    HB 945 aims to create a new counterintelligence and counterterrorism unit inside the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

    What’s raising eyebrows is that the list of potential targets of new surveillance and other law enforcement activity includes people “whose demonstrated actions, views, or opinions are a threat or are inimical to the interests of this state and the United States of America.”

    Actions? OK. “Views or opinions”?

    Green Mighty State

    Permit me a little Vermont pride: My home state, never a stranger to blizzards, has sent snow-clearing equipment and crews to Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

    “Having Vermont come in to help out with their crews is really, really pivotal, and it just shows that we’re able to work across state lines,” said Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, according to WJAR.

    The state’s Agency of Transportation “sent over 30 pieces of equipment and 33 employees to its neighbor to the south Tuesday to aid with snow removal, according to Greg Smith, the agency’s district transportation administrator for the capital region,” VTDigger reported.

    “The fleet included dump trucks, bucket loaders for scooping snow and, of course, plows,” the outlet said.

    It’s nice to see this kind of interstate cooperation. A blizzard is snow laughing matter.

    The Week in Cartoons Feb. 23-27

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  • Salve Regina student dies of CO poisoning during storm

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    A 21-year-old Salve Regina student died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Newport, Rhode Island, during Monday’s storm, according to local police.

    Newport police officers found Joseph Boutros unconscious inside a vehicle parked in a lot on Bellevue Avenue around 7:20 p.m. He was taken to Newport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

    Investigators believe Boutros was charging his cell phone. The car was covered in snow and not running when they arrived.

    “This tragic incident was accidental and a reminder to be vigilant to keep exhaust pipes clear of snow and debris when vehicles are idling,” Newport police said in a statement.

    Rhode Island experienced a record-breaking storm on Monday, breaking a record previously set by the Blizzard of ’78.

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  • Pawtucket shooting has ‘impact on the entire community’

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    Three people remain in critical condition at a hospital in Rhode Island following this week’s deadly shooting at an ice-skating arena in Pawtucket.

    The shooter’s ex-wife, Rhonda Dorgan, and adult son, Aidan Dorgan, were both killed.

    Flowers and hockey sticks have been left outside Lynch Arena in tribute to the victims. Keith Cabral, who played hockey here when he was a kid, came by with his daughter.

    “When we heard that there was lives lost, it hurts us,” said Cabral. “This place is meaningful, it means a lot to us and our family. So we’re really sad.”

    Multiple vigils have been held in the days after the deadly shooting at a hockey rink in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, left three dead, including the suspect, and three others critically injured, as the community grieves and tries to process this latest act of violence to rock the state.

    Pawtucket police say Robert Dorgan, who they say also went by the name of Roberta Esposito, came to rink armed with two handguns and opened fire.

    Corina Haddock stopped by with flowers. She went to high school with Aidan.

    “You’d never think one of us is going to be gone this soon, but yeah, it’s just so tough to see the family go through this. They’re great family,” Haddock said, fighting back tears.

    A mass shooting at a hockey game left three people including the shooter dead, three critically injured and a Rhode Island community in grief.

    Rhonda’s parents, Linda and Gerald Dorgan, and a family friend, Thomas Geruso, were also hit and remain in the hospital. Geruso is an assistant principal in the school district.

    “At this time, our focus remains on supporting Tom, caring for our staff and students, and ensuring that mental health and counseling resources are readily available throughout our school community,” the superintendent’s office wrote in a statement. “We are grateful for the tremendous support shown by the Pawtucket community and ask that Tom and his loved ones continue to be kept in everyone’s thoughts. Out of respect for Tom and his family, we are not sharing additional details, but we ask the community to continue holding him close in their hearts during this incredibly difficult time.”

    Reverand Shane Lima runs Ambassadors Church of the Nazarene, located ne near the ice arena. He said he is trying to help provide a space for the community to heal.

    “But also, not just healing symbolically, but that there can be action so that these things can be prevented whenever possible,” said Lima.

    Haddock says the impact is hurting people in so many different ways.

    “It’s definitely an impact on the entire community, and everyone’s feeling it,” said Haddock. “Really, the only good thing coming out of this is the community coming together for them, because they deserve support right now.”

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  • 2 killed, gunman dead, in shooting at Rhode Island high school hockey game

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    Police identified the shooter involved in a deadly assault inside a hockey rink in Rhode Island and credited a good Samaritan for helping to stop the attack.Three people, including the suspected gunman, are dead and officials said three others were injured in the shooting that happened during a scheduled hockey game at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, two miles from the Rhode Island-Massachusetts border. According to Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves, the shooting may have been domestic in nature, as the victims included members of the suspect’s family and a family friend. Investigators believe the shooter fatally shot himself after the incident, Goncalves said.”A good Samaritan stepped in and interjected in the scene and that’s probably what led to a swift end of this tragic event,” Goncalves said.Goncalves later said the shooter, born in 1969, was born as Robert Dorgan, but also uses the name Roberta and the surname Esposito.More than one weapon was recovered from the scene, the chief also said.Video below: Police chief says bystander intervened in hockey game shootingTwo teams made up of students from multiple schools were playing in hockey games at the arena when the shooting took place. One of the schools was celebrating Senior Night, which honors senior student-athletes and their families during what is usually the final game of the season.All of the schools involved in the game confirmed that their students and players were not injured in the shooting.One woman and her son said they were in the stands when they heard the gunshots.”After four shots, we saw everybody hitting the ground,” she said. “The first thing I thought was where’s my kid? I turned around, I looked toward the stands and he was there and I was just screaming at him to get down. I went back in to see where he was and I saw them doing CPR in the stands. It was really disturbing.”Students in many school districts in the area are currently on February break. A 16-year-old goalie for one of the teams said he was on the ice when shots rang out.”I’m overwhelmed, but trying to stay calm,” he said. “You don’t know what it feels like until you’re in it.”In the wake of the shooting, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League announced that it was temporarily suspending all games “out of respect for the victims and to reflect upon this senseless act of violence.”Video below: Hockey players raced across ice after shots fired in arenaA bus filled with hockey players, parents and family members who were inside the arena at the time of the shooting was taken to the Pawtucket Police Headquarters. Mayor Donald Grebien said investigators had conducted about 100 interviews in the hours after the incident.A woman who was leaving the Pawtucket Police Department after the shooting told sister station WCVB that her father was the shooter.”My father was the shooter,” she said, without giving her name. “He shot my family, and he’s dead now.”She also said, “He has mental health issues.” Later Monday evening, investigators were seen towing a white van from the parking lot outside the arena.FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the agency was assisting state and local police in the shooting investigation.

    Police identified the shooter involved in a deadly assault inside a hockey rink in Rhode Island and credited a good Samaritan for helping to stop the attack.

    Three people, including the suspected gunman, are dead and officials said three others were injured in the shooting that happened during a scheduled hockey game at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, two miles from the Rhode Island-Massachusetts border.

    According to Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves, the shooting may have been domestic in nature, as the victims included members of the suspect’s family and a family friend. Investigators believe the shooter fatally shot himself after the incident, Goncalves said.

    “A good Samaritan stepped in and interjected in the scene and that’s probably what led to a swift end of this tragic event,” Goncalves said.

    Goncalves later said the shooter, born in 1969, was born as Robert Dorgan, but also uses the name Roberta and the surname Esposito.

    More than one weapon was recovered from the scene, the chief also said.

    Video below: Police chief says bystander intervened in hockey game shooting

    Two teams made up of students from multiple schools were playing in hockey games at the arena when the shooting took place.

    One of the schools was celebrating Senior Night, which honors senior student-athletes and their families during what is usually the final game of the season.

    All of the schools involved in the game confirmed that their students and players were not injured in the shooting.

    One woman and her son said they were in the stands when they heard the gunshots.

    “After four shots, we saw everybody hitting the ground,” she said. “The first thing I thought was where’s my kid? I turned around, I looked toward the stands and he was there and I was just screaming at him to get down. I went back in to see where he was and I saw them doing CPR in the stands. It was really disturbing.”

    Students in many school districts in the area are currently on February break.

    A 16-year-old goalie for one of the teams said he was on the ice when shots rang out.

    “I’m overwhelmed, but trying to stay calm,” he said. “You don’t know what it feels like until you’re in it.”

    In the wake of the shooting, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League announced that it was temporarily suspending all games “out of respect for the victims and to reflect upon this senseless act of violence.”

    Video below: Hockey players raced across ice after shots fired in arena

    A bus filled with hockey players, parents and family members who were inside the arena at the time of the shooting was taken to the Pawtucket Police Headquarters. Mayor Donald Grebien said investigators had conducted about 100 interviews in the hours after the incident.

    A woman who was leaving the Pawtucket Police Department after the shooting told sister station WCVB that her father was the shooter.

    “My father was the shooter,” she said, without giving her name. “He shot my family, and he’s dead now.”

    She also said, “He has mental health issues.”

    Later Monday evening, investigators were seen towing a white van from the parking lot outside the arena.

    FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the agency was assisting state and local police in the shooting investigation.

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  • Blast of Winter Weather Hitting Midwest, East Coast and Could Bring Snow to Florida

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    HOUSTON (AP) — A blast of winter weather was set to bring snowfall and subfreezing wind chills across the Midwest and East Coast on Saturday as well as near freezing temperatures in parts of the South, including in normally warm Florida.

    In northeastern Ohio, a snow squall — sudden bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds — was creating whiteout conditions, according to the National Weather Service. The snow squall conditions were moving into the Cleveland metro area on Saturday and expected to continue east into Pennsylvania and parts of eastern New York.

    “Expect visibilities of less than a quarter of a mile and rapid snow accumulation on roadways. Travel will be difficult and possibly dangerous in the heavy snow,” according to the National Weather Service.

    Below average temperatures were being forecast for the Central and Eastern U.S. this weekend into early next week, according to the National Weather Service.

    “The next few nights are forecast to be very cold for much of the Central and Eastern United States,” the Weather Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service, said Saturday. “Sub-zero wind chills are forecast from the Plains to the Midwest and Northeast, with the coldest wind chills expected in the Upper Midwest on Sunday night.”

    Snowfall was expected by Sunday night to blanket Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with some areas getting up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow.

    The cold weather wasn’t going to be limited to the northern parts of the U.S. as Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida were expected to have near freezing temperatures through at least the weekend.

    In Tallahassee, Florida, residents could see some snowfall on Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service. But if there is snow, it won’t last long.

    “So here in Tallahassee, the likelihood of any snow accumulation is not zero, but it’s very low. I mean, the ground will be just too warm for anything to stick and accumulate,” said Kristian Oliver, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Tallahassee.

    If there is snowfall in the Tallahassee area on Sunday, it would be the second time in as many years that Florida has experienced such winter weather.

    In January 2025, up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow fell in parts of the Florida Panhandle. This snowfall was part of a record breaking snowstorm that impacted the deep South in late January 2025, according to the National Weather Service. Areas that don’t normally see snowfall, including Houston, New Orleans and parts of Florida, were hit by last year’s winter storm.

    “On average w Associated Press e have an event like this maybe every few years. But having two, back to back, I’d say is pretty anomalous for the area,” Oliver said.

    Up to 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) of snow could fall on Sunday in parts of central Georgia, areas located south of Atlanta.

    “Plan on slippery roads during the snow, as well as on Sunday night into Monday morning as remaining water/snow refreezes,” said the National Weather Service’s Atlanta office.

    Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – January 2026

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  • Man arrested after deadly hit-and-run in Cranston, RI

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    A man is accused of driving off after hitting and killing a woman early Sunday morning in Cranston, Rhode Island.

    Police and fire crews in Cranston responded around 4:15 a.m. to the 500 block of Scituate Avenue, where a pedestrian had been hit. An Amazon employee called 911 after finding her.

    The woman, who had been thrown about 42 feet in the crash, was pronounced dead at the scene.

    Investigators are still working to confirm the victim’s identity and notify her family.

    About an hour after police were called, a Cranston resident went to the scene to report that 30-year-old Richard D’Amico, also of Cranston, had told him he believed he hit a deer or an object on Scituate Avenue.

    Police found the Toyota Tacoma D’Amico was driving at his home and found that the damage to the truck was consistent with the crash.

    After conducting interviews and reviewing license plate reader data and other evidence, authorities determined that the Tacoma was involved in the fatal crash, and that D’Amico did not report the crash to police.

    After an arrest warrant was issued, D’Amico turned himself in around 7 p.m. Sunday, police said. He is charged with duty to stop in an accident resulting in death.

    D’Amico was arraigned and released on a $5,000 surety bail, police said. He is due back in court April 1. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

    The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call 401-942-2211. Anonymous tips can be submitted by texting “CRANSTONPD” to 847411.

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  • After Swiss Alps New Year’s Eve bar fire, a look at some of America’s worst nightclub and bar fires

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    A blaze at a packed bar in the Swiss Alps during New Year’s Eve celebrations killed about 40 people and injured 115 others, many of them seriously.

    Cellphone video captured harrowing images of the tragedy’s first moments as flames swept across the wooden ceiling of the bar’s basement level, panicking partygoers who rushed to escape. The fire then rose up and engulfed the upper level.

    The cause of the fire remains unknown, but two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside the venue when they saw a waitress, who was being carried on a bartender’s shoulders, holding a lit candle in a bottle that ignited the wooden ceiling. The flames spread rapidly, causing the ceiling to collapse, they said.

    “In a matter of seconds, the entire ceiling was ablaze. Everything was made of wood,” they said.  

    One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a flight of stairs and through a narrow door, noting that there were “about 200 people trying to get out within 30 seconds through some very narrow steps,” according to a BBC News translation.

    Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris who survived the blaze, said he hadn’t seen the fire start, but did see waitresses arrive with Champagne bottles with sparklers. 

    He described “total chaos” inside the bar. One of his friends died and “two or three were missing,” he told The Associated Press.  

    In the early stages of the investigation, Valais Canton Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said it was “totally unknown” how many people were inside the bar when the fire broke out, but said authorities would be looking into its maximum capacity.

    The disaster echoed some past tragedies when deadly bar and nightclub fires broke out in the United States.

    The Station nightclub fire

    The Station nightclub fire scene in West Warwick, Rhode Island, in February 2003. 

    David L Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images


    The Station Nightclub fire took place in February 2003 at a club in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The fatal fire resulted in 100 deaths and over 200 injuries.

    “We went out on a Thursday night to listen to music, drink some beers and have a good time. And a quarter of those people didn’t get to go home — ever,” survivor Linda Saran, who was severely burned in the fire, told CBS News in 2021.

    The blaze ignited when the band Jack Russell’s Great White took the stage, and four large pyrotechnics were set off, sending flames up the walls and rapidly across the soundproofing foam. The nightclub owners had installed foam along the club’s walls and ceilings to combat noise complaints, but the foam was highly flammable, and the club did not have sprinklers installed.

    The exits were also a safety issue. Inspection records showed that three months before the fire, the owners had been cited by the local fire marshal for having a secondary, interior door by the stage that opened inward, which violated regulations. They were told to take it down, but it was still up on the night of the fire.

    Happy Land Social Club fire

    Bronx Fire

    News crews report on an arson fire at the Happy Land social club on March 25, 1990, in the Bronx borough of New York. 

    AP file photo


    In March 1990, a fire at the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx, New York, killed 87 people and injured dozens more. 

    The cause of the fire was arson. A man, Julio Gonzalez, poured gasoline on the floor of the entryway and ignited it following a fight with his girlfriend. 

    The fire moved so quickly that a few victims still had drinks in their hands while others died hugging or holding hands. 

    The social club didn’t have sprinklers, fire alarms or fire exits. It was operating illegally at the time, as the city had ordered it to close because of the various building and fire code violations.

    In the wake of the blaze, New York City tightened fire safety enforcement and stepped up efforts to shut down illegal clubs. Gonzalez was convicted of murder charges for the many deaths in the blaze.

    Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire

    CocoanutGroveFire.jpg

    Rescue workers are seen outside the Cocoanut Grove club in Boston, Mass., Nov. 28, 1942, after fire tore through the nightclub, killing 492 people.

    AP


    The Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire, the deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history, occurred on November 28, 1942, at the Cocoanut Grove club in Boston, Massachusetts. A total of 490 people died, and hundreds were injured.

    The cause was never officially determined, but the fire started in the basement and spread rapidly through the lounge and up a stairway that acted as a chimney. Many patrons were trapped inside because two exit doors were locked and the single revolving door at the front entrance was jammed with people attempting to flee the blaze.

    The club was filled to more than twice its legal capacity when the fire started. 

    Combustible soundproofing material at the club was blamed for the rapid spread of the fire. The tragedy led to changes in building codes and standards — such as requiring revolving doors to be flanked by outward-opening standard doors — as well as medical treatment for burns.

    “The impacts of Cocoanut Grove are already forever enshrined in the regulations, safety practices, the innovations and knowledge that have already saved countless lives,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said at a ceremony marking 80 years since the blaze.

    The Associated Press

    contributed to this report.

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  • 3 New England governors demand briefing on power project risks

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    Four Northeast governors on Wednesday demanded a classified briefing from the Trump administration to understand the national security risks underlying the pause on offshore wind project leases.

    Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee also called for the pause to be lifted immediately on the five offshore wind projects, including Vineyard Wind 1 off the coast of Nantucket.

    “It strains credulity to believe that vital, substantial projects that underwent many federal reviews and processes, including by the DoD (Department of Defense), all of a sudden present new, existential, unforeseen threats,” the governors wrote in a letter to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

    The Department of Interior announced Monday that it was pausing all large-scale offshore wind leases immediately in response to “national security risks identified by the Department of War in recently completed classified reports.” The department said it would work with the Department of War and other government agencies to “assess the possibility of mitigating the national security risks posed by these projects.”

    In their requested briefing, the governors said they want a “clear description of the specific national security risks” and “[i]dentification of the particular project components, if any, alleged to give rise to those risks.”

    The governors wrote that federal officials did not notify states about “any purportedly new risk” before the project suspensions.

    “The sudden emergence of a new ‘national security threat’ appears to be less a legitimate, rational finding of fact and more a pretextual excuse to justify a predetermined outcome consistent with the President’s frequently stated personal opposition to offshore wind,” their letter says.

    In its announcement, the Department of Interior pointed to national security risks that are “inherent” to large offshore wind projects and invoked unclassified federal government reports that “have long found that the movement of massive turbine blades and the highly reflective towers create radar interference called ‘clutter.’”

    The governors argued that, “If ‘clutter’ were such a grave threat, it might also apply to the thousands of oil rigs and other seaborne infrastructure in our coastal waters.” They also emphasized the projects have already been vetted by federal officials, including at the Department of Defense.

    “The military had the opportunity to raise concerns and object. They did not, and further certified there was no threat to national security,” their letter says. “To claim a threat exists now, after billions of dollars have been invested in these projects and reviews fully completed, is the height of irrationality.”

    Fifty iron workers lost their jobs just before the holidays due to the halted work on Vineyard Wind, Ironworkers Local 7 said Tuesday. The union said it is “thoroughly disgusted and furious” at the administration’s action.

    “If we are serious about making energy more affordable and strengthening American industry, we need more energy projects of all types, not fewer,” the union said. “We call on the president to reverse this decision so our members can get back to work providing reliable, affordable power for Massachusetts.”

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  • Democratic Governors Call on Trump Administration to Lift Freeze on Offshore Wind Projects

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    WASHINGTON, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Four ‌Democratic ​governors wrote to U.S. Interior ‌Secretary Doug Burgum on Wednesday to ask the ​Trump administration to lift its halt on five offshore wind projects on the ‍U.S. East Coast.

    The Department ​of the Interior on Monday attributed its suspension of the leases ​for the ⁠projects to national security concerns.

    However, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee rejected those claims, saying that the projects had already undergone extensive ‌federal review, including an assessment that addressed national security considerations.

    They said ​neither ‌the Interior Department nor ‍any other ⁠agency, including the Pentagon, informed their states about a new risk prior to the suspensions.

    “The sudden emergence of a new ‘national security threat’ appears to be less a legitimate, rational finding of fact and more a pretextual excuse to justify a predetermined outcome consistent with the President’s frequently stated personal opposition ​to offshore wind,” the governors wrote.

    The Interior Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    The suspension was the latest blow for offshore wind developers that have faced repeated disruptions to their multi-billion-dollar projects under U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he finds wind turbines ugly, costly and inefficient.

    Agencies including the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Commerce and the Environmental Protection Agency have been implementing a directive to suspend all ​new approvals needed for both onshore and offshore wind projects pending a review of leasing and permitting practices.

    Earlier this month, a federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s halt to all federal ​approvals for new wind energy projects.  

    (Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • Brown University police chief placed on leave after mass shooting

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    Brown University police chief Rodney Chatman has been placed on leave more than a week after the mass shooting that killed two students and injured nine others in Providence, Rhode Island.

    School president Christina Paxson said Monday evening that Brown will commission a review of campus safety and the response to the Dec. 13 shooting that investigators say was carried out by former grad student Claudio Manuel Neves Valente. 

    “A review like this is standard,” Paxson said in a statement. “As it takes place, Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management Rodney Chatman is on leave, effective immediately.”

    Paxson said former Providence Police Department chief Hugh T. Clements will serve as interim chief for public safety and police while Chatman is on leave. Chatman was appointed to his role in 2021 and previously worked in campus safety at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Utah.

    Paxon also shared some immediate security measures the school is taking. More security cameras will be installed across campus, including at the Barus & Holley engineering building where the shooting happened. The manhunt for the shooter had been hampered by a lack of usable surveillance video footage in the area, a source told CBS News last week. 

    Also on Monday, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it will conduct a “program review” of Brown to see if the Ivy League college met the safety standards required to receive federal student aid. The department said Brown “seemed unable to provide helpful information about the profile of the alleged assassin” in the days after the shooting.

    “Students deserve to feel safe at school, and every university across this nation must protect their students and be equipped with adequate resources to aid law enforcement,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “The Trump Administration will fight to ensure that recipients of federal funding are vigorously protecting students’ safety and following security procedures as required under federal law.” 

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  • What we know about the suspect in the Brown University and MIT professor shootings, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente

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    Law enforcement officials say the same gunman who opened fire at Brown University also shot and killed an MIT professor two days later. The suspect in both shootings has been identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente. 

    Authorities said he was found dead in New Hampshire Thursday night following an intensive manhunt. 

    Two students were killed and nine were wounded in the shooting at Brown, in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday. Then MIT professor Nuno Loureiro was gunned down at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Monday.

    Investigators believe the suspect acted alone, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said.

    Here’s what we know so far about the suspect. 

    Who is the suspect in the Brown University and MIT professor shootings? 

    The suspect in the shootings was identified by authorities as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente. 

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts posted a photo of Neves Valente on social media late Thursday night.

    Claudio Neves Valente, suspect in the Brown University shooting in Providence, in this undated handout image released on December 18, 2025. 

    U.S. Attorney Massachusetts


    He was a Portuguese national whose last known residence was in Miami, Florida, officials said during a news conference Thursday night. 

    He studied at Brown in 2000-2001 and then moved to the U.S. in 2017 after receiving a green card through a visa lottery program, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a social media post late Thursday.

    Where was the suspect found?

    Officials said Neves Valente died by suicide at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, where he had rented a unit. A satchel and two firearms were found with him. 

    “We are 100% confident that this is our target, and that this case is closed from a perspective of pursuing people involved,” Neronha said. 

    But so far the motive remains a mystery.

    “I don’t think we have any idea why now, or why — why Brown? Why these students? Why this classroom? That is really unknown to us. It may become clear, I hope that it does, but it hasn’t as of right now,” Neronha said.

    How was the suspect identified? 

    Security footage and hotel, rental car and storage unit records all helped in the case. And police said information from a tipster who encountered the suspect near Brown University was key to making the identification.

    Leah Foley, U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, provided a timeline at a news conference Thursday night.

    She said the suspect stayed in a hotel room in Boston in late November, and then on Dec. 1 he rented a gray Nissan Sentra with Florida plates from a car rental agency in Boston and drove “to the vicinity” of Brown University. Providence is about an hour’s drive from Boston.

    Claudio Neves Valente, suspect in Brown University shooting

    Claudio Neves Valente, suspect in the Brown University shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, at an Alamo Rent-a-Car on Nov. 17, 2025, in this screen grab from CCTV footage released in an affidavit by the Providence Police on Dec. 18, 2025.

    Providence Police/Handout via REUTERS


    His car was “observed intermittently” between Dec. 1 and Dec. 12 in the area of Brown University, Foley said. The shooting took place on Saturday, Dec. 13, and suspect then returned to Massachusetts, where MIT professor Nuno Loureiro was shot at his home in Brookline on Monday, Dec. 15.

    A tipster known as “John” in a Providence police affidavit reported that he encountered a man near Brown resembling the person of interest. John began posting on the social media forum Reddit that police should look into “possibly a rental” grey Nissan. 

    Following up on that tip “blew this case right open,” Neronha said.

    “Investigators identified the vehicle that he had rented in Boston and drove to Rhode Island,” Foley said, and they also obtained footage of him from the rental car location. She said a financial investigation also linked him to the car and hotels.

    Claudio Neves Valente, suspect in Brown University shooting

    Claudio Neves Valente, the suspect in the Brown University shooting, picks up a vehicle at an Alamo Rent-a-Car in this screen grab from CCTV footage released in an affidavit by the Providence Police on Dec. 18, 2025. 

    Providence Police/Handout via REUTERS


    Security footage also showed the suspect within a half-mile of Loureiro’s apartment, and there was footage showing him entering “in the location of the professor’s apartment,” Foley said.  

    About an hour later, he was seen entering the storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire. 

    When he was found dead Thursday he was dressed in the same clothes that he was seen wearing right after Loureiro’s murder, Foley said. 

    “We found records, with the help of the FBI and others, that that was his storage area,” Neronha said. 

    What was the suspect’s connection to Brown University? 

    Neves Valente was enrolled at Brown University from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001, Brown’s president, Christina Paxson, said. He was admitted to the graduate school to study in a PhD physics program.

    Paxson said he took a leave of absence in April 2001, before formally withdrawing on July 31, 2003.

    He was only enrolled in physics classes while at the school, which were held in the same building where the shooting took place. 

    “The majority of physics classes at Brown have always been held at the Barus & Holley classrooms and labs,” Paxson said.

    What was the suspect’s connection to the MIT professor? 

    Both the suspect and MIT professor Nuno Loureiro were from Portugal.

    In a statement, the Instituto Superior Técnico in Portugal confirmed that Neves Valente had been a student at its Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion, studying for a degree in Engineering Physics between 1995 and 2000. Loureiro took the course during the same period, the institute said.

    “My understanding is that they did know each other,” Foley said.

    They were close in age — the suspect was 48 and Loureiro was 47 — and both studied physics. Loureiro went on to become a prominent scholar in the field of fusion energy research and was director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center.

    Loureiro was shot multiple times at his home Monday night and died the next day. 

    The Associated Press and

    Faris Tanyos

    contributed to this report.

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  • Man Suspected in Brown University Shooting and MIT Professor’s Killing Is Found Dead, Officials Say

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    Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday night from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief.

    Investigators believe he is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine other people in a Brown lecture hall last Saturday, then killing MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro two days later at his home in the Boston suburbs, nearly 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Providence. Perez said as far as investigators know, Neves Valente acted alone.

    Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled there as a graduate student studying physics from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001.

    “He has no current affiliation with the university,” she said.

    Neves Valente and Loureiro previously attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said. Loureiro graduated from the physics program at Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal’s premier engineering school, in 2000, according to his MIT faculty page. The same year, Neves Valente was let go from a position at the Lisbon university, according to an archive of a termination notice from the school’s then-president in February 2000.

    Neves Valente had come to Brown on a student visa. He eventually obtained legal permanent residence status in September 2017, Foley said. It was not immediately clear where he was between taking a leave of absence from the school in 2001 and getting the visa in 2017. His last known residence was in Miami.

    After officials revealed the suspect’s identity, President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery program that allowed Neves Valente to stay in the United States.

    There are still “a lot of unknowns” in regard to motive, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said. “We don’t know why now, why Brown, why these students and why this classroom,” he said.


    Tip helps investigators connect the dots

    The FBI previously said it knew of no links between the Rhode Island and Massachusetts shootings.

    Police credited a person who had several encounters with Neves Valente for providing a crucial tip that led to the suspect.

    After police shared security video of a person of interest, the witness — known only as “John” in a Providence police affidavit — recognized him and posted his suspicions on the social media forum Reddit. Reddit users urged him to tell the FBI, and John said he did.

    John said he had encountered Neves Valente hours earlier in the bathroom of the engineering building where the shooting occurred and noticed he was wearing inappropriate clothing for the weather, according to the affidavit. He again bumped into Neves Valente a couple blocks away and saw him suddenly turn away from a Nissan sedan when he saw John.

    “When you do crack it, you crack it. And that person led us to the car, which led us to the name,” Neronha said.

    His tip pointed investigators to a Nissan Sentra with Florida plates. That enabled Providence police to tap into a network of more than 70 street cameras operated around the city by surveillance company Flock Safety. Those cameras track license plates and other vehicle details.

    After leaving Rhode Island, Providence officials said Neves Valente stuck a Maine license plate over his rental car’s plate to help conceal his identity.

    Investigators found footage of Neves Valente entering an apartment building near Loureiro’s in a Boston suburb. About an hour later, Neves Valente was seen entering the Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility where he was found dead, Foley said. He had with him a satchel and two firearms, Neronha said.


    Victims include renowned physicist, political organizer and aspiring doctor

    Loureiro, a 47-year-old physicist and fusion scientist, had joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead the school’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, one of its largest laboratories. The scientist from Viseu, Portugal, had been working to explain the physics behind astronomical phenomena such as solar flares.

    The two Brown students killed during a study session for final exams were 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov. Cook was active in her Alabama church and served as vice president of the Brown College Republicans. Umurzokov’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan when he was a child, and he aspired to be a doctor.

    As for the wounded, three had been discharged and six were in stable condition Thursday, officials said.

    Although Brown officials say there are 1,200 cameras on campus, the attack happened in an older part of the engineering building that has few, if any, cameras. And investigators believe the shooter entered and left through a door that faces a residential street bordering campus, which might explain why the cameras Brown does have didn’t capture footage of the person.

    Associated Press reporters Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,, Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Hallie Golden in Seattle and Matt O’Brien in Providence contributed.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – December 2025

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  • What we know about the Brown University shooting suspect

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    The man suspected of killing two students and wounding nine others in a shooting at Brown University before fatally shooting a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor days later was found dead Thursday in a New Hampshire storage unit, officials said.

    The suspect, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, died by suicide, Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez told reporters Thursday.

    Valente was found in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, roughly 80 miles north of Providence, Rhode Island, that authorities had obtained warrants to search, said Ted Docks, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston field office.

    Follow live coverage here.

    The suspect, a Portuguese national whose last known address was in Miami, attended Brown in the early 2000s as a Ph.D. student studying physics before he withdrew in 2003, university President Christina Paxson told reporters.

    A judge signed an arrest warrant Thursday accusing him of interstate murder, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said.

    Neronha said it was unclear why he opened fire.

    “Why Brown? I think that is a mystery,” he said, adding: “I don’t think we have any idea why now, or why Brown, why these students, why this classroom. That is really unknown to us.”

    Nerhona said a person who saw a photo of the suspect reached out to authorities with information and “blew this case right open.”

    That information led police to a rental car, the suspect’s name and photos of him renting the car, he said. The clothing he was seen wearing in those photos matched the clothing worn by the shooter at Brown, Nerhona said.

    Leah B. Foley, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, told reporters at a separate news conference Thursday night that Valente also fatally shot Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at his home on Dec. 15.

    Docks, the FBI agent, said Valente appears to have attended the same university in Portugal as Loureiro.

    Officials previously said the suspect who opened fire at Brown on Saturday used a 9 mm handgun in a first-floor classroom of the school’s Barus & Holley building.

    Final exams had started the day before and were continuing when gunfire rang out at the Providence campus.

    The shooting prompted a dayslong manhunt for the gunman, who police said left out of the Hope Street side of the complex. State police, the FBI, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. marshals — even the IRS — were assisting in the investigation, Perez said.

    On Monday, police released more videos and images of a person they were seeking, which were recorded around two hours before Saturday’s shooting, and the FBI announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and a conviction of the shooter.

    “It’s all hands on deck,” Perez told reporters Monday evening. “There’s no one that wants to put this individual in handcuffs more than us.”

    A person of interest had been detained Sunday, a day after the shooting, but that person was released from custody after investigators determined the evidence did not support his detention, officials said.

    A 911 call about an active shooter on the Ivy League campus came in at 4:05 p.m. Saturday, and students were told to lock doors and silence phones as an hourslong shelter-in-place warning took effect on campus and in the surrounding community.

    Killed in the shooting were Ella Cook, 19, a Birmingham, Alabama, native and vice president of the Brown College Republicans chapter, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, who was from Uzbekistan and who family members said had a “bright future” ahead of him and dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon.

    Most of the wounded were left in critical condition.

    Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said he has gotten support and offers of help from mayors of other cities.

    “But one of the just depressing facts is, I’ve received dozens of texts from other mayors saying, ‘I’ve been through this, we’re here for you, call us if you need help for advice,” Smiley said Monday. “Sadly, this happens far too frequently.”

    Nicole Acevedo contributed.

    Members of local and federal law enforcement discuss how they found the suspect in the shooting at Brown University.

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  • Brown and MIT manhunt live updates as sources say shootings may be linked

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    Manhunt ongoing in multiple states for suspect in Brown shooting, sources say

    The ongoing, active manhunt for the Brown University shooting suspect is now taking place in multiple states, law enforcement sources tell CBS News.

     

    Search on for suspect, rented vehicle in Brown University shooting, sources say

    Investigators are searching for a suspect in the Brown University shooting and a car that the person is believed to have rented, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

    Authorities believe the rented vehicle is the same make and model of a car that was also detected in the vicinity of the apartment of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, who was shot at his residence on Monday and died in a hospital the following day, the sources said.

     

    Murdered MIT professor remembered as a “brilliant scientist”

    Nuno Loureiro, a nuclear science and engineering professor from Portugal, taught plasma physics at MIT and led its Plasma Science and Fusion Center. 

    The 47-year-old was found shot Monday night at his apartment in Brookline, Massachusetts. He died at a hospital the following day. 

    “Nuno was not only a brilliant scientist, he was a brilliant person,” colleague Dennis Whyte said in an obituary published Tuesday by MIT. “He shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague and leader and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner. His loss is immeasurable to our community at the PSFC, NSE and MIT, and around the entire fusion and plasma research world.”

    Authorities are investigating his death as a homicide. 

     

    Brown University mourning 2 “brilliant and beloved” students

    The two students killed in the shooting at Brown University on Saturday, Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, are being remembered as “brilliant and beloved — as members of our campus community, but even more by their friends and families,” Brown’s president, Christina H. Paxson, wrote in a letter to the university community. 

    Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, was vice president of Brown’s College Republicans. 

    “Ella was a devoted Christian and a committed conservative who represented the very best of Alabama,” Alabama Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth said in a post on X. “A bright future was ended much too soon.”

    Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman, was studying biochemistry and neuroscience. His sister, Samira Umurzokova, said he was helping a friend study for an economics final when he was shot.

    A memorial for Brown University shooting victims Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook on the campus of Brown University on Dec. 16, 2025.

    John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images


    “It’s just heartbreaking for the community, we’re all really in shock right now,” student Jack Cox told CBS News Boston.

    Read more here.

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  • Person of interest identified in Brown University shooting, sources say

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    A person of interest has been identified in the mass shooting at Brown University, multiple sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News on Thursday.

    Law enforcement has identified the person who has been seen in grainy surveillance footage, and a search for that individual is underway, the sources said.

    Two students were killed and nine more were wounded when the gunman opened fire Saturday afternoon inside a classroom on the Ivy League university’s campus in Providence, Rhode Island, authorities said. The shooting occurred in the school’s Barus & Holley engineering building during final exams.

    In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, police said a male suspect had managed to escape from the building. In the hours and days that followed, police and the FBI released images and videos of the man they described as a person of interest walking around a nearby neighborhood several hours before the first 911 calls reporting the shooting came in. 

    The person in the images wore black clothing and a face mask. None of the footage pictured him clearly.

    A video released on Tuesday, though blurry, was the clearest picture of the person of interest released so far. The image appeared to be digitally enhanced. 

    John Mulvaney, an FBI veteran of 26 years and the managing director of CBIZ Forensix Consulting Group, told CBS News Boston the footage appeared to show the person of interest “casing the neighborhood.”  

    The FBI is offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the shooting.

    The two students killed in the shooting were identified as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek American freshman student. 

    “Both were brilliant and beloved — as members of our campus community, but even more by their friends and families,” Brown’s president, Christina H. Paxson, wrote in a letter Tuesday to the university community. “Our hearts continue to be with them in their profound sorrow.”

    This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

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  • Brown to release early-decision notices as manhunt for shooter continues

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    As a search continues for the person behind this weekend’s mass shooting, Brown University was planning to issue early-decision admission offers to applicants Wednesday evening.

    The Ivy League school delayed the release of the decisions, originally scheduled for Monday, after the shooting left two students dead and nine others wounded on Saturday. The university and public officials were facing mounting questions about security and the investigation as the hunt stretched on with the attacker still at large.

    Brown informed applicants by email and on social media that early-decision offers would be posted online around 7 p.m. EST Wednesday. Under early decision, applicants commit to attend the university if they are admitted.

    A Brown spokesperson said the university understood the fear and anxiety that newly admitted students may be feeling and would work with any having second thoughts.

    “For any admitted student who reaches out with concerns about moving forward with matriculation, we’ll work with them individually and personally to determine the right solution,” university spokesperson Brian E. Clark said.

    The manhunt for the Brown University mass shooter is now in its fifth day, and investigators are turning to the public for assistance.

    While some students have talked about potentially pulling applications, those who are genuinely focused on Brown are unlikely to be deterred, said Allen Koh, chief executive officer of Cardinal Education, a California-based college admissions consulting company.

    “Unfortunately, shootings have become a sad reality for young people today, and no school is completely immune, regardless of how elite or well-resourced it may be,” Koh said. “At the same time, the probability of such incidents remains very low, and people still need to live their lives.”

    Applying early decision typically improves a student’s chances of winning admission at selective schools. Elite schools like Brown rely on early decision applications to drive tuition and revenue and fill about half the seats in their freshman class, said Daniel Lee, co-founder of Solomon Admissions Consulting.

    On message boards and in conversations with college advisers, many students expressed shock and concern about the attack but said the shooting did not change their desire to attend Brown. The university’s daily newspaper, The Brown Daily Herald, quoted applicants who expressed a feeling that gun violence was a reality and “this could happen anywhere.”

    In a message to applicants on Monday, the university apologized for the delay in early decision notifications. “We are faced with the reality of mourning the loss of members of our community taken from us from a terrible act of violence, even as we acknowledge that we’re on the eve of a very important day for our many talented applicants to Brown,” the message said. “(We) appreciate your patience and understanding as we grieve, heal, and begin to move forward together.”

    ___

    The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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    Jocelyn Gecker | The Associated Press

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  • Brown University shooting investigators release new

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    Police in Providence, Rhode Island, on Tuesday released a new image and what they described as “enhanced” videos of a person of interest in the deadly shooting at Brown University as the search for the gunman entered the fourth day. 

    In several zoomed-in videos police say were captured on the East Side of Providence on Saturday afternoon, approximately two hours before the shooting, the person of interest is seen walking on a sidewalk and looking around. The person is wearing a face covering. 

    Some of the footage released Tuesday by the Providence Police Department on social media appeared to be digitally enhanced versions of previously released videos. Police urged anyone with information to contact the FBI tip line online or at 401-272-3121.

    “Even small details may be critical to this,” police said.

    The FBI also shared a timeline of when the videos were captured, including some videos that appear to have been obtained from residents’ private cameras. The person of interest is seen from about 2 p.m. on Saturday until just after 4 p.m., around the time the shooting took place.

    Police said the individual was walking near Hope and Benevolent streets, just down the block from the Barus & Holley engineering building where the gunman opened fire. Authorities said Monday they had no information about a motive at this point.

    Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said investigators have also obtained other videos that have not been released to the public.

    “I want to be clear because later on there may be other videos that get released in the course of a prosecution. … They show things like chaos after the shooting. What they don’t show is this person of interest,” Neronha said at a news conference Tuesday.

    An image released earlier Tuesday, though blurry, was the clearest picture of the person of interest released so far since the shooting that killed two Brown University students and wounded nine others. The FBI said the man is about 5-foot-8 with a stocky build. 

    Providence Police released a new image of the person of interest in the Brown University shooting.

    Providence Police


    The bureau has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the gunman.

    Two of the nine injured victims have been released from the hospital, while five are in critical stable condition, one is in critical condition and one is stable, according to Rhode Island Hospital.

    The students killed in the attack were identified as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek American freshman.

    “Both were brilliant and beloved — as members of our campus community, but even more by their friends and families,” Brown’s president, Christina H. Paxson, wrote in a letter Tuesday to the university community. “Our hearts continue to be with them in their profound sorrow.”

    Investigators say they are looking to interview anyone who was in the area of the shooting. They’re also continuing to search the area for evidence that might lead to the gunman.

    Meanwhile, Brown University says it has seen an increase in swatting calls since the shooting. The community has seen increased security presence, with restrictions to buildings and areas, but students say it will take effort and time for them to feel safe. 

    “We were in a state where Brown felt incredibly safe, and that bubble of safeness was completely popped when we were violated by a shooter entering our campus,” Talia Levine, a senior at Brown University who barricaded for four hours during the shooting, told CBS News.

    At a news conference on Tuesday, Paxson said she has been “deeply saddened” to see people questioning the university’s commitment to safety and security. 

    “I understand that as time goes on, there is maybe a natural instinct to assign responsibility for a tragic event like this. Anxiety and fear is very natural. But the shooter is responsible,” Paxson said. “Horrific gun violence took the lives of these students and hospitalized others and it’s deeply sad and tragic that schools across the country are targets of violence, and Brown is no exception.” 

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  • 12/15: CBS Evening News

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    12/15: CBS Evening News – CBS News









































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    Police seek person of interest in Brown University shooting; Rob Reiner and wife Michele found dead, son arrested.

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  • Officials share new videos, photos of person of interest in Brown University shooting

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    Officials share new videos, photos of person of interest in Brown University shooting – CBS News









































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    Police shared more videos and pictures of a person of interest in the Brown University shooting investigation on Monday. The shooter remains at large.

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  • Manhunt Continues for Suspect in Brown University Shooting: Live Updates

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    A woman mourns at a makeshift memorial on Sunday outside the Barus & Holley engineering building on the campus of Brown University.
    Photo: Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

    On Saturday, a gunman opened fire in a lecture hall at Brown University in Rhode Island, killing two people and injuring nine others during the height of exam season at the Ivy League institution. Though authorities announced they had taken a person of interest into custody, the individual was later released, the suspect in the incident remains at large, and the manhunt continues as the quiet community is still reeling from the violent incident. Here’s what we know so far.

    Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez shared newly-obtained video footage and photos of the alleged suspect, saying that they’re following a new lead in the days-long investigation.

    Per Perez, the images are from Saturday around 2 p.m., a few hours before the shooting. In the footage, the suspect can be seen walking in a residential area. For the first time, the images include the suspect’s face which appears to be covered by a black face mask.

    “We’re asking the public for assistance to be able to identify this individual,” he said.

    A reporter asked Providence Mayor Brett Smiley about an alarm installed by Brown University that reportedly did not send off a warning to the school community about the active shooter and why that was the case, noting that no representatives were at today’s press conference.

    Smiley said they would have to direct that question to Brown officials. “This is not a decision that the city of Providence or any of the other law enforcement partners that you see behind me can trigger that alarm. I don’t know the answer to that,” he said.

    But the mayor defended the university and said it has been a “close collaborator” in this investigation and that there’s nothing to read into their absence at the briefing.

    The FBI’s flyer describes the suspect as “male, approximately 5’8” with a stocky build.”

    Ted Docks, the FBI agent-in-charge of the Boston field office, announced that the agency is now offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator whom he said is considered “armed and dangerous.”

    Docks said the FBI is still continuing its work in the Providence area, noting that its evidence response teams are still on campus and agents from Quantico’s lab are “documenting the trajectories of the bullets to reconstruct the scene.”

    “We are asking the public to be patient as we continue to run down every lead so we can get victims, survivors and their families and all of you the answers you deserve,” he said.

    Our Cut colleague Andrea González-Ramírez notes how far-right conspiracy theories focused on one of the victims of the Brown University shooting have been emerging:

    Far-right figures have fixated on Cook’s death in particular to claim that the shooter sought to harm conservatives, even though investigators have not identified a suspect. “I’m told she was allegedly targeted for her conservative beliefs, hunted, and killed in cold blood,” William Donahue, president of the College Republicans of America, said on X, offering no evidence supporting his allegation. Far-right podcast host Benny Johnson also claimed without proof in an X post that the shooting appeared to be a targeted attack, saying, “The left’s violent rhetoric has turned into nationwide violence. If we don’t crush this threat now, we lose everything. It’s only escalating.” Chaya Raichik, who runs the far-right social media account LibsofTikTok, quote-tweeted an unconfirmed report on X claiming the attack was planned against Cook and added that her death meant it was “open season on Conservatives now.” Conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, New York City Councilwoman Vicky Paladino, and podcast host CJ Pearson amplified these allegations, too.

    Read the rest here.

    Speaking from the Oval Office Monday, President Trump said the investigation into the Brown University shooting was “moving along,” but that the shooter’s motive was still unknown. “Hopefully they’re going to capture this animal,” he said.

    But when a reporter asked why the FBI has had struggled to identify the shooter, the president seemed to point the finger at Brown itself. “You’ll really have to ask the school a little bit more about because this was a school problem. They had their own guards, they had their own police, they had their own everything,” Trump said.

    He continued, “The FBI will do a good job, but they came in after the fact.”

    There have been several recent instances of long manhunts following high-profile shootings around the country.

    A little over a year ago, it took five days to apprehend Luigi Mangione, who allegedly shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan on December 4, 2024. Images of Mangione were widely circulated amid a national manhunt, but he wasn’t caught until someone saw him at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, thought he resembled the suspected gunman, and alerted a McDonald’s employee who then contacted police.

    In June, it took nearly two days to catch Vance Boelter after he allegedly impersonated a police officer and assassinated Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband and attempted to murder State Senator John Hoffman and his wife.

    In August, it took a seven-day manhunt to apprehend Michael Paul Brown, who allegedly shot and killed four people at a bar in the small town of Anaconda, Montana, then fled and evaded police by hiding in forests in the sparsely populated outskirts of the town.

    In September, the 22-year-old man who allegedly assassinated Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, was able to evade law enforcement for 33 hours following the shooting and was only apprehended after his parents convinced him to turn himself in. Hours after the shooting, after authorities detained a person of interest, FBI director Kash Patel announced that the manhunt was over, but the person of interest was released soon after.

    Rhode Island attorney general Peter Neronha told ABC News that the person of interest who was initially detained and then released has been “effectively cleared.”

    “The evidence that we have, the scientific evidence that we have available to us, after it was analyzed, made clear that this was not someone who should be detained in connection with this case,” he said. “So we released him and then moved on, looking at other evidence and pursuing other leads pointing at additional potential individuals.”

    Following the release of the sole person of interest, the Providence Police Department reiterated its request for the public to share any pertinent information about the shooting with law enforcement:

    In a subsequent post, the department said officers are reaching out to local businesses and residences, seeking any available camera footage. WPRI 12 has video of law enforcement going door-to-door in Providence:

    The Providence Police Department has released new video of a person of interest in the Brown University shooting. In the clip, a figure dressed in black can be seen walking down a city sidewalk:

    The Washington Post reports that Saturday’s shooting has prompted conversation about the safety of Brown University’s open campus:

    Brown, unlike some other urban universities, is not sealed off by fences or other barriers; it’s accessible to anyone who wants to walk onto the Providence campus. While some schools, such as Harvard and Columbia, locked their gates and restricted access to campus after contentious protests over the Israel-Gaza war, Brown remained open.

    Rob Kilfoyle, president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and director of public safety and emergency management at Humber Polytechnic in Toronto, said that while best practices suggest sending a first alert five to 10 minutes after learning of an emergency, university officials have been more careful to verify reports after a series of shooter hoaxes, or swatting incidents, earlier this fall. And the first priority is to alert law enforcement so they can get to the scene, he said, before officials issue a public warning.

    Colleges must balance the need for security with the educational mission, Kilfoyle said. “That’s probably one of the toughest things that we have to do in campus public safety, is find that equilibrium between not wanting it to seem oppressive and too restrictive, but also providing sufficient security.”

    Vice-President J.D. Vance weighed in on the Brown University shooting, offering condolences for the two students who were killed. Vance noted Ella Cook’s role in her local chapter of the College Republicans, writing on social media, “It takes special courage to lead an organization of conservatives on a left wing campus, and I am very sorry our country has lost one of its bright young stars. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord.”

    The vice-president also acknowledged the loss of MuhammadAziz Umurzakov, calling him “a brilliant young man who dreamed of being a surgeon.”

    “Say a prayer for everyone affected by this terrible tragedy, right before Christmas,” Vance wrote.

    So far, FBI director Patel has yet to comment publicly on the release of the investigation’s sole person of interest after publicizing his detention.

    On Monday, Patel’s social media has largely been focused on the agency’s newly revealed work foiling an alleged New Year’s Day terror plot.

    Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin and incoming governor Abigail Spanberger offered their condolences for the victims in Saturday’s shooting, noting that MuhammadAziz Umurzakov recently graduated from a local high school in the state:

    Providence mayor Brett Smiley said that there’s an “enhanced police presence” on Brown’s campus and throughout the city of Providence, but said there have been no additional credible threats made to the community.

    “Ever since the initial shooting occurred, that first call that came in at 4:05 p.m. a day and a half ago, we have not received a single credible call for threat of violence or any sort of information to believe that there is an ongoing threat in any specific, credible way,” he said on ABC News.

    The Brown University shooting is not the first time that FBI director Patel’s handling of an investigation has come under fire.

    Within hours of the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Patel took to social media to declare that the shooter was in custody. But Patel would later have to walk his statement back, writing that the person of interest was “released after an interrogation by law enforcement.” The alleged shooter, Tyler James Robinson, would later surrender himself to police one day after the shooting.

    Rhode Island representative Seth Magaziner, who is an alum of Brown University, criticized the FBI’s handling of the investigation and hoped Patel and others would “take a lesson” from the example set by local officials.

    “I give a lot of credit to our Rhode Island elected officials in not jumping the gun. They were careful to always call this person a person of interest, not a suspect,” Magaziner said, per the Providence Journal. “And that does stand in contrast to the president and the FBI director, who, similar to in the hours that followed the Charlie Kirk assassination, seemed to be very eager to break news before they’re confident whether it’s true or not.”

    In an interview with ABC News, Smiley was asked if officials were “absolutely convinced” that the person of interest had nothing to do with the shooting.

    “We’re not saying that definitively. What we’re saying is that after a review of the evidence that was gathered, it was determined that the person of interest needed to be released,” he said.

    Smiley said that the authorities believe the person seen in the short video released by law enforcement is the suspect they’re seeking and that there currently isn’t any evidence that suggests that anyone else is involved.

    Brown University remains open in the wake of the recent shooting, but the school provost informed the community Sunday that in-person fall exams as well as all remaining classes and projects for the semester have been cancelled. “In the immediate aftermath of these devastating events, we recognize that learning and assessment are significantly hindered in the short term and that many students and others will wish to depart campus,” Francis Doyle said in a statement. “Students are free to leave if they are able. Students who remain will have access to on-campus services and support.”

    In an interview with ABC News, teaching assistant Joseph Oduro recounted the moment the unknown gunman burst into the room where he was holding a study session and opened fire:

    “I immediately, when I saw him, I saw a gun,” Oduro told ABC News correspondent Whit Johnson in an interview on Sunday. “The gun was so big and long that I genuinely thought, like, okay, this is the end of the road for me.”

    …

    Oduro said the gunman was dressed in dark clothing from head to toe and appeared to be wearing something that was bulging from his chest, saying it could have been ammunition or a bulletproof vest. He said the gunman was completely covered except for his eyes and part of a hand.

    “We made eye contact,” Oduro said. “I know he mumbled something, screamed something, I don’t know exactly what was said, but he entered the room and you could just see the panic in all the students’ eyes,” Oduro said. “I was standing in the front so as soon as he walked in, he immediately saw me and I immediately saw him.”

    He said that as the gunfire erupted, he saw some students running out the door and others diving to the ground, “just whatever it takes to stay alive.”

    As NBC News reported Sunday:

    Mia Tretta, 21, was shot in the 2019 mass shooting at Saugus High School, about 40 miles north of Los Angeles. A 16-year-old boy carried out that attack, killing two, including Tretta’s best friend, and injuring three before fatally shooting himself.

    Zoe Weissman, 20, attended Westglades Middle School, adjacent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a former student opened fire, killing 17, in 2018.

    Neither Tretta nor Weissman expected to experience a mass shooting again.

    “No one in this country even assumes it’s going to happen to them,” Tretta said. “Once it happens to you, you assume or are told it will never happen again, and obviously that is not the case.”

    Both of the people killed in the attack were young undergrads at Brown.

    MuhammadAziz Umurzakov, 18, a freshman, reportedly graduated from Midlothian High in Chesterfield County, Virginia, in May. According to a GoFundMe created to support his family, the Uzbek American student “was incredibly kind, funny, and smart” and “had big dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon and helping people.”

    Ella Cook, 19, was a sophomore who grew up in Mountain Brook, Alabama. She was the vice-president of the school’s College Republicans chapter.

    Investigators appear to be back to square one, though they seem confident that the gunman acted alone, and that the video footage they have of a man dressed in black following the attack is of the shooter. Authorities also continue to stress that that Brown community members and Providence residents aren’t in any danger.

    In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement issued a thin description of the suspected shooter, describing them as a man dressed in black. The FBI urged the public to send in any information about the possible, publicizing surveillance footage showing a person of interest in dark clothing walking in the area of the shooting.

    On Sunday, FBI director Kash Patel took to social media, detailing the agency’s efforts assisting the Brown University investigation and search for the gunman. Patel revealed that law enforcement had located a person of interest and taken them into custody at a hotel room in nearby Coventry, Rhode Island.

    While officials did not publicly identify the man in question and he clearly wasn’t the confirmed suspect, law enforcement sources leaked information about the man’s identity to news outlets. Their subsequent news reports revealed his name and background.

    But by late Sunday evening, the Providence Police Department announced that it would be releasing the person of interest with no charges.

    During a press conference, Providence police chief Oscar Perez said the initial tip came through the department, but that the FBI ultimately followed it up.

    “There was a tip that came in, just like we would take in any other tips and that one came in specifically identifying a person of interest which was this individual. And so our detectives, just like the others, got on it. But this specific one, it was actually picked up by the FBI and they followed through with it, and they ended up coming and locating this individual of interest,” Perez said.

    State attorney general Peter Neronha said that such shifts in an investigation are not uncommon. “This is what these investigations look like. I’ve been around long enough to know that sometimes you head in one direction and then you have to regroup and go in another. That’s exactly what has happened,” he said.

    But Neronha acknowledged that it was “really unfortunate” that the person of interest’s identity was made public.

    “It’s hard to put that back in the bottle. So we’re going to proceed very carefully here,” he said

    According to officials, Brown University received a report of an active shooter at 4:05 p.m. on Saturday at the school’s engineering building.

    Joseph Oduro, a teaching assistant and 21-year-old senior, told the New York Times that he was leading an economics study session that ended at 4 p.m. But as the students prepared to leave, there was a commotion from the hallway outside. “All of a sudden, we heard gunshots and people screaming,” Oduro told the Times. It was then that a masked gunman rushed into the room and opened fire.

    The campus and the surrounding neighborhoods were placed on lockdown for hours after the incident as authorities responded and sought the gunman who fled the scene. Two people were killed and nine others wounded in the shooting.

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    Intelligencer Staff

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