PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Authorities knocked on doors for video and dug through snow and dumpsters for other evidence that could lead them to the Brown University gunman, whose face was covered or not visible in footage taken before and after the weekend attack that killed two students and wounded nine others.
Officials on Monday released three new videos of the man they believe carried out Saturday’s attack, showing him wearing a mask and a two-tone dark jacket. Although his face was not visible, footage from about two hours before the shooting provided the clearest images yet of the suspect.
The FBI said the man is about 5 feet, 8 inches (173 centimeters) tall and has a stocky build. The agency offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
“We’re asking for the public’s help,” Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said at a news conference, urging people who might recognize the suspect to call a tip line.
Police renewed their search after releasing a person of interest on Sunday after determining evidence pointed elsewhere. Meanwhile, details began to emerge about the students who had been shot.
The lockdown order for the Ivy League school was lifted Sunday after authorities said they had detained the person of interest. But hopes for a quick resolution were dashed when they announced a few hours later that they had released him.
The sudden change in direction marked a setback in the investigation as questions swirled about campus security, the apparent lack of video evidence from the school and whether the focus on the person of interest gave the attacker more time to escape.
Governor Dan McKee has called for additional local police in schools to provide reassurance for students, families and educators.
A college campus church planned to host a “Community Service of Grief, Healing and Hope” Tuesday night.
A new video appears
Before Monday’s press conference, police released a second video showing someone dressed in black walking down a city street minutes after the shooting. The video — like one released the day of the shooting — did not show the suspect’s face.
In a neighborhood near the university, a line of officers trudged through a snow-covered yard looking for evidence. Meanwhile, agents who identified themselves as U.S. Marshals asked locals if they had security cameras.
The shooting occurred while final exams were underway at Brown, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious schools. Investigators weren’t immediately sure how the shooter got into the first-floor classroom, and the attack set off hours of chaos.
Attorney General Peter Neronha, who said on Sunday that there were not many cameras where the attack took place, said on Monday that investigators were “making steady progress”.
One of the dead was active in the church. The other has overcome health problems
The shooting took place in an auditorium-style classroom where students in a study group were preparing for an upcoming exam.
Ella Cook, a 19-year-old who was vice president of the Brown College Republicans and a sweetheart at her church in Birmingham, Alabama, was one of the students killed, according to her home pastor.
Announcing her death Sunday, the Rev. R. Craig Smalley described Cook as “an incredible, faithful, shining light” who encouraged and “lifted up those around her.”
“Ella was known for her bold, brave and kind heart as she served her chapter and her classmates,” club president Martin Bertao said in a message posted on X.
The other student who was killed was MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman majoring in biochemistry and neuroscience. He was helping a friend review for an economics final when he was shot, his sister said.
As a child, Umurzokov suffered a neurological condition that required surgery, and later wore a back brace for scoliosis, said Samira Umurzokova, noting that the family immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan when she, her brother and sister were young. He knew from an early age that he wanted to be a neurosurgeon to help others like him.
“He’s had so much hardship in his life and he’s gotten into this amazing school and he’s worked so hard to fulfill a promise he made to himself when he was 7 years old,” she told the AP on Monday.
Only one of the nine injured people was released Sunday, said Brown President Christina Paxson. One was in critical condition and the other seven were in critical but stable condition. Mayor Brett Smiley said Monday night that none of their conditions had worsened, but that he had no further information.
Durham Academy, a private K-12 school in Durham, North Carolina, confirmed that a recent graduate, Kendall Turner, was seriously injured and that her parents were with her. “Our school community is rallying around Kendall, her classmates and loved ones,” the school said in a statement.
Another injured student, 18-year-old freshman Spencer Yang of New York, told the New York Times and Brown Daily Herald from a hospital bed that a mad struggle ensued after the gunman entered the room where he and other students were studying for finals. Many students ran to the front of the hall, but Yang said he reached the ground between some chairs and was shot in the leg.
Yang, who is expected to be discharged in the coming days, said he tried to keep some of the more seriously injured students conscious until police arrived.
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Associated Press reporters Jennifer McDermott and Matt O’Brien in Providence contributed; Brian Slodysko in Washington; Michael Casey of Boston; Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; John Seewer of Toledo, Ohio; Kathy McCormack of Concord, New Hampshire; and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas.