Brown University Shooting: Police find DNA, fingerprints of suspect
Providence Police also released surveillance camera images of a male who was seen near the suspect and sought the public’s help to identify the person whom they believed could lead them to the gunman.
December 18, 2025 08:34 PM IST
First published on: Dec 18, 2025 at 08:34 PM IST
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Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team search for evidence near the campus of Brown University, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
In what could be the biggest breakthrough in the search for the masked gunman who shot dead two students at Brown University in Rhode Island, the police chief in Providence said they have obtained DNA evidence from the crime scene.
‘Found physical evidence’
Colonel Oscar Perez of the Providence Police Department told Fox News that investigators found “physical evidence and we’re in the process of examining that evidence.”
“And yes, we have some DNA that we manipulated and so it just progresses everyday,” Perez said, adding: “It progresses everyday with forensics, it progresses everyday with witness statements and so yeah, we’re just trying to find out and we are going to do our best.”
A man kneels at a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims outside the Engineering Research Center at Brown University, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Providence, R.I.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Unnamed law enforcement sources told The New York Times that DNA and fingerprints were found on shell casings at the scene of the shooting.
Police seek to identify person seen close to suspect
Earlier, on Wednesday, the Providence Police had released surveillance camera images of a male who was seen near the suspect and sought the public’s help to identify the person whom they believe could lead them to the gunman.
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“Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying and speaking to the individual shown in these photos who was in proximity of the person of interest,” Providence Police said in a post on social media.
Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying and speaking to the individual shown in these photos who was in proximity of the person of interest.
Authorities have also asked people who might have video of the shooter, potentially casing the area the week before, to come forward as the masked gunman continues to be elusive.
“I believe that this is probably the most intense investigation going on right now in this nation” Col. Perez, said at a Wednesday news conference.
A police vehicle is parked at an intersection near crime scene tape at Brown University, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Providence, R.I., following a Saturday shooting at the university. (Photo: AP)
He said witness accounts of the shooter match the person in the videos.
Police release more surveillance videos
Authorities have released several videos from the day of the attack, which left two students dead and nine wounded, showing the person they’re seeking on streets just off campus. The person is wearing a mask or has their head turned in the footage.
Investigators have described the person they’re seeking as about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and stocky, but they’ve given no indication that they are close to zeroing in on their identity. Motive also remains a mystery.
This image taken from video provided by the FBI shows a person of interest in the investigation of the shooting that occurred at Brown University, in Providence, R.I., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (FBI via AP)
The shooting at Brown University on Saturday happened inside an engineering building at the eastern edge of campus, where the Ivy League school blends into a residential neighborhood.
Hours before the attack, security camera footage captured a person of interest police say may have been “casing” a quiet and affluent corner of College Hill, just out of reach of the busier streets that cross through the urban campus in Providence, Rhode Island.
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Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team search for evidence near the campus of Brown University, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) 
