What To Know About The ‘Person Of Interest’ In The Brown University Shooting

The man identified and detained by law enforcement as a “person of interest” in the Saturday mass shooting at Brown University is a 24-year-old Wisconsin man, according to reports.

Law enforcement tracked the man down at the Hampton Inn in Coventry, Rhode Island, on Sunday. The man had rented a room in the hotel. Law enforcement officers who apprehended the man found two firearms in the room as well: a revolver and a Glock handgun with a laser sight attachment, according to CNN.

On Sunday afternoon, the FBI was spotted around a home owned by the family of the person of interest, according to CNN.

Law enforcement officials are investigating “what might be an extensive mental health history” for the Wisconsin man, NBC News reports. Officials are also investigating a potential link between the man and Brown University.

According to public records, the Wisconsin man’s current residence is an apartment in Washington, D.C. An Army spokeswoman told NBC News that the man served as an infantryman in the Army from May 2021 to November 2024.

Law enforcement and officials have been cautious about giving much information about the “person of interest” in public. A person of interest, to law enforcement, is someone who police believe has information or a connection to a crime. Police have not yet identified the man as a “suspect” in the shooting.

Officials acknowledged the slow release of information in a press conference on Sunday, urging patience as officials continue to investigate the shooting.

“It’s not that we’re hiding anything, it’s just the way we work,” said Providence Police Department Major David Lapatin. “That’s why we haven’t been able to give you much information. But we’re trying to do the best job we can. And some things we have to keep, you know, out of the public light until we’re ready to come out with everything.”

A gunman entered an engineering building at Brown University on Saturday afternoon and killed two students and injured nine others. Law enforcement launched a manhunt immediately after the shooting before picking up the “person of interest” nearly 12 hours later.