Police Recover DNA Evidence From Brown University Shooting Scene
Investigators in Providence, Rhode Island, have recovered physical evidence, including live ammunition and DNA, from the scene of the recent mass shooting at Brown University that left two students dead and nine others injured.
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday that authorities are analyzing the evidence. “We have some DNA that we manipulated, and so it just progresses every day,” he said. Perez also noted that the investigation continues to evolve with forensic work and witness interviews, although the suspect remains at large.
At a press conference, Perez admitted that the gunman “could be anywhere,” adding to public frustration over the lack of a clear breakthrough in the case. The response from law enforcement has faced criticism, particularly over the initial release of grainy footage showing a masked person believed to be connected to the attack.
Enhanced video and photographs were released Tuesday, showing the person of interest walking through Providence streets before the shooting. Police also provided a map marking the areas where the individual was confirmed to have been on the day of the incident.
On Wednesday, police released images of a second person they say was near the primary person of interest. Authorities are asking the public for help identifying this individual.
The shooting took place in a classroom inside the Barus & Holley building on Brown’s campus. Ella Cook, a 19-year-old student from Alabama who served as vice president of the University College Republicans, and 18-year-old Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov from Uzbekistan were killed while studying on the first floor.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha explained that the building’s older section, where the shooting occurred, lacked modern security systems. “There’s the back part of the building, the old part, and the front part, the new part,” he said. “The shooting occurs in the old part towards the back.”
Authorities continue to urge anyone with information to come forward as they work to identify the suspect and piece together the full timeline of the attack.