Law enforcement authorities are examining whether there is a connection between the deadly mass shooting at Brown University and the targeted killing of an MIT professor two days later, according to CBS News.
According to the report, investigators have identified a person of interest in the Brown University attack and are actively searching for the individual. Two students were killed, and nine others were wounded when a gunman opened fire Saturday afternoon inside a classroom in the Barus & Holley engineering building during final exams at the Providence, Rhode Island campus.
Police said the suspect fled the building immediately after the shooting. In the days that followed, local authorities and the FBI released images and video of a man described as a person of interest walking in a nearby neighborhood hours before the first emergency calls were made. The individual was seen wearing dark clothing and a face mask, though the footage did not clearly show his face.
Providence police say the investigation remains ongoing and that detectives are now seeking the public’s assistance in locating and speaking with a second individual who encountered the person of interest before the shooting. Investigators said this individual was in close proximity to the suspect prior to the attack and may be able to provide information critical to advancing the case. Police have not released identifying details about this person.
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said during a briefing that authorities believe the individual was close enough to warrant an interview. Perez added that investigators have collected physical and DNA evidence as part of the inquiry and are continuing efforts to narrow in on the suspect.
Police described the person of interest as a man approximately 5-foot-8 with a stocky build who was observed pacing near the campus for several hours before the shooting. Investigators said enhanced surveillance videos released earlier this week remain the clearest images available to aid in identification.
A video released earlier this week provided the clearest image so far, though it remained blurry and appeared to be digitally enhanced. John Mulvaney, a former FBI official, said the footage suggested the individual may have been surveying the area prior to the attack.
The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the suspect.
The victims were identified as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman student. Brown University President Christina H. Paxson said in a message to the campus community that the two students were deeply cherished and that the university continues to mourn their loss.