Authorities on Thursday confirmed they have identified a person of interest in the fatal shooting at Brown University and are examining whether there may be a possible connection to the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, according to two individuals briefed on the investigation who were not authorized to speak publicly.
Investigators are actively searching for the individual and for a vehicle believed to have been rented by the person of interest, one official said.
Authorities have not publicly named a suspect in either the Brown University shooting or the separate homicide in Brookline, Massachusetts.
According to officials, investigators believe the rented vehicle is the same make and model as a car previously identified in connection with the shooting death of the MIT professor.
As a result, law enforcement agencies issued an alert to police departments across the Boston area, directing officers to be on the lookout for the vehicle.
The alert warned that anyone inside the car could be armed and dangerous and was wanted in connection with the Brookline homicide.
The bulletin did not reference the Brown University shooting.
The shooting at Brown occurred shortly after 4:00 p.m. Saturday when a masked individual dressed in black entered a lecture hall inside the Barus and Holley Science Building, where students had gathered for a review session ahead of final exams.
Witnesses reported that the gunman shouted something unintelligible before opening fire.
Two students were killed in the attack: MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, 18, of Virginia, and Ella Cook, 19, a sophomore from Alabama.
Nine additional students were wounded, and as of Thursday afternoon, six remained hospitalized, all listed in stable condition.
The shooting prompted a massive law enforcement response, with approximately 400 officers from multiple agencies deployed to the Brown campus and surrounding East Side neighborhood.
Heavily armed officers conducted room-by-room searches of campus buildings, while others canvassed nearby streets. Police helicopters were deployed overhead, but the gunman was able to flee the scene.
On Monday night, authorities in Brookline, Massachusetts, responded to a report of a shooting at the home of Dr. Nuno F. G. Loureiro, a professor at MIT. Dr. Loureiro was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead early Tuesday morning.
Initially, Ted Docks, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston field office, stated there appeared to be “no connection” between the Brown University shooting and Dr. Loureiro’s death. However, investigators have since continued to examine potential links as new information emerged during the search for the person of interest.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, police detained a 24-year-old man described at the time as a person of interest, briefly easing tensions in Providence following the campus lockdown. However, authorities later said forensic and scientific testing cleared the individual, and he was released without charges.
Officials emphasized that the investigation remains active and fluid.
No arrests have been announced, and authorities have urged the public to avoid speculation as investigators continue to follow verified leads.
Law enforcement agencies are asking anyone with information related to either case, or sightings of the vehicle in question, to contact police immediately.
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