On Saturday, a shooting inside Brown University’s Barus and Holley engineering building left two students dead and nine wounded, prompting a detailed release of surveillance footage that traces the suspect’s movements across the campus and surrounding neighborhoods.
Timeline of Video Evidence
The earliest footage, released by police, shows a person of interest in dark clothing and a mask sauntering along a Manning Street sidewalk from 2:00 p.m. to 2:08 p.m. The individual then turns onto Cooke Street, later onto George Street, passing stately mansions from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The suspect remains about a block away from Hope Street, an unofficial eastern border of Brown’s campus.
From 2:08 to 2:13 p.m., the same person walks on Benevolent Street, pauses, and turns around in front of the Aldrich House, home to the Rhode Island Historical Society. A spokesperson for the society declined to comment except to say the organization is cooperating with investigators. The suspect is then seen along the side entrance of the Aldrich House, in a small outbuilding, and behind its gated lawn and a row of trees on George Street.
At 2:16 to 2:18 p.m., the video shows the suspect abruptly turning west down George. A second individual follows, carrying a small light-colored bag. Police released images of people with light-colored bags they want to speak with because of their proximity to the suspect. The main subject later makes a brief appearance on Hope Street, walking on a sidewalk alongside the Brown campus.
At 2:20 p.m., a video taken from the historical society building shows the suspect running east on Benevolent Street toward Cooke Street. The clip is followed by a 30-minute gap in publicly disclosed footage.
From 2:51 to 2:53 p.m., the suspect is again seen on George, Cooke and Manning streets, covering the same ground walked earlier. Doorbell camera footage shows the suspect walking west on Manning Street toward the university campus with a satchel visible over their shoulder.
At 2:53 p.m., car camera footage from a Nissan Rogue captures the suspect turning north onto Hope Street from Manning Street and heading toward a parking lot near Brown’s Barus and Holley engineering building. This is the last known sighting for more than an hour. Authorities noted that Brown’s older engineering building lacks many cameras, explaining the absence of footage of the shooter.
The Shooting
At 4:03 p.m., gunfire erupted inside a classroom of the Barus and Holley building where many students had gathered for a study session to prepare for a final economics exam. Two students were killed and nine were wounded.
At 4:06 p.m., shortly after the shooting, the suspect appears to walk calmly back through the same Brown parking lot toward Hope Street. As the suspect crosses Hope Street, a police car with emergency lights turns to park nearby. The officer exits the vehicle and quickly crosses toward the engineering building. The suspect turns the corner onto Waterman Street and continues walking east along Waterman at a leisurely pace, not Hope Street as the FBI had stated.
At 4:15 p.m., the sun sets over Providence during a week with the year’s earliest sunsets, plunging the city into darkness as an intensive search begins.
Key Takeaways
- The suspect’s movements were captured from 2:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., showing a pattern of “casing” the campus and surrounding area.
- The shooting occurred at 4:03 p.m. inside the Barus and Holley building, resulting in two deaths and nine injuries.
- After the shooting, the suspect left the campus calmly, moving through the parking lot and onto Waterman Street.
Lau reported from Claymont, Delaware.
