By Isabelle Jones-
A man detained as a “person of interest” is to be released from prison after a fatal shooting on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The suspect has been named as 24-year-old Benjamin Erickson, who had served several years in the US army.
Two people were killed and nine others, all or nearly all of whom are also believed to be students, were injured in the attack at around 4pm (9pm UK time) on Saturday.
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It all happened during the heights of examinations too. Authorities said they were looking into what might be an extensive mental health history for Mr Erickson. Any connection with Brown University is also being investigated.
FBI Director Kash Patel posted details of an arrest at a Hampton Inn hotel in Coventry, about 20 miles (32km) from Providence, early on Sunday, “based off a lead” from Providence police. Providence police chief Colonel Oscar Perez described the investigation as “complex” and progressing “extremely fast”, providing no further detail.
The shooting happened inside a classroom on the first floor of the Barus & Holley engineering building, a seven-storey structure home to much of the university’s engineering and physics students.
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A police official told the AP news agency that the gunman fired more than 40 9mm rounds. A gun has not been recovered, but officers did seize two loaded 30-round magazines.
Officials released a video showing a suspect walking down a street away from the campus and turning a corner, dressed in dark, loose-fitting clothing. Of those injured, eight people have been described as stable, although one remains critically ill. Another person has left hospital.
“The people of Providence should breathe a little easier this morning,” Mr Smiley added.
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Access to parts of the campus remained restricted on Sunday as police maintained a security perimeter around Minden Hall and nearby apartment buildings.
The site has hundreds of buildings, including lecture halls, laboratories and dorms.
Brown is a private university with roughly 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students. Student Chiang-Heng Chien said he was working in one of the labs with three other students when they received a notification about a shooting nearby.
“We decided to turn the light off and close all the doors and hide under our desks, and wait for the next notification after the shooting,” he told reporters. The students hid under the desks for about two hours.
‘We hid under our desks for two hours’
“I was hoping that no one’s getting hurt and no one’s dead,” he said.
The students left the building when they received another notification, and security personnel moved in to search the facility.
One of the victims killed was identified as Ella Cook, the 19-year-old vice president of the Brown College Republicans, the College Republicans of America confirmed in a statement Sunday night. “Ella was known for her bold, brave and kind heart as she served her chapter and fellow classmates,” the national organization said in a statement posted on social media.
The second victim killed was later identified as Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old student, multiple outlets reported citing the victim’s family members
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