Newly released security footage has mapped the precise movements of a person of interest in the hours leading up to a fatal shooting on the campus of Brown University in the United States. The video evidence, disclosed by police and the FBI, paints a detailed picture of activity around the Ivy League school's perimeter before the attack inside an engineering building.
A Chilling Prelude on College Hill
The shooting occurred on a Saturday inside the Barus and Holley engineering building at the eastern edge of Brown's campus in Providence, Rhode Island. This area blends into a quiet and affluent residential neighbourhood known as College Hill. Hours before the attack, security cameras captured an individual who authorities believe may have been 'casing' the area, staying just off the busier thoroughfares that cross the urban campus.
Here is a detailed timeline of the video evidence released to the public:
2:00 p.m. to 2:08 p.m.: The earliest footage shows a person dressed in dark clothing and wearing a mask walking along Manning Street. The individual turns onto Cooke Street and then onto George Street, passing historic mansions. For most of the next hour, this person remains roughly a block away from the bustling Hope Street, an unofficial eastern border for the university.
2:08 p.m. to 2:13 p.m.: The same person is seen on Benevolent Street, pausing and turning around in front of the Aldrich House, home to the Rhode Island Historical Society. The society, which has cameras at its entrances, is cooperating with investigators. The person is then observed near a side entrance and behind the property's gated lawn on George Street.
Unusual Activity and a Second Individual
2:16 p.m. to 2:18 p.m.: The footage shows more unusual behaviour near the Aldrich House. Notes from the FBI indicate the person "abruptly turns west down George. Second individual follows." This second person, seen on Cooke Street carrying a light-coloured bag, appears to run in the same direction. Police have since released images of people with similar bags, seeking to speak with them due to their proximity to the main person of interest. The primary subject is later briefly seen on Hope Street, walking alongside the campus.
2:20 p.m.: A camera at the historical society captures the person running east on Benevolent Street, away from campus towards Cooke Street. After this clip, there is a significant gap of at least 30 minutes in the publicly available footage.
2:51 p.m. to 2:53 p.m.: The person reappears, retracing their earlier steps on George, Cooke, and Manning streets. Doorbell camera footage then shows them walking west on Manning Street towards the university campus, with a satchel now visible over their shoulder.
The Final Approach and Aftermath
2:53 p.m.: A car's dashcam from a Nissan Rogue records the person turning north onto Hope Street from Manning Street, heading towards a parking lot near the Barus and Holley building. This is the last known sighting for over an hour. Authorities noted that a lack of video from inside the older engineering building hampered their initial investigation.
4:03 p.m.: Gunfire erupts in a classroom where students had gathered for an economics exam study session. The attack resulted in two students killed and nine others wounded.
4:06 p.m.: Shortly after the shooting, the person of interest is seen walking calmly back through the same Brown parking lot towards Hope Street. As they cross Hope Street, a police car with emergency lights arrives and parks nearby. An officer exits and heads towards the engineering building. The person turns onto Waterman Street and continues walking east at a leisurely pace.
4:15 p.m.: The sun set on Providence, plunging the city into darkness as an intensive search for the suspect began.
