Brown shooting, MIT Professor murder possibly linked, investigation ongoing: Report
Authorities are investigating a possible link between last weekend’s Brown University shooting, which left two students dead, and the killing of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro near Boston two days later, a report said.
Six days into the investigation of last weekend’s mass shooting at Brown University, authorities are examining a possible connection to a second attack near Boston that occurred two days later and killed a professor at another Ivy League school, an AP report said on Thursday.
According to three people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation, investigators are looking into whether the two shootings are linked. Two of the people said authorities have identified a person of interest in the cases and are actively searching for that individual.
Two attacks days apart
The first shooting occurred Saturday inside a classroom in Brown University’s engineering building, where two students were killed and nine others wounded. The attacker fled the scene and remains at large.
Two days later, about 50 miles north, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro was shot at his home near Boston on Monday night and died at a hospital the following day.
The FBI previously said it was aware of no connection between the cases.
No arrest yet as frustration grows
Nearly a week after the Brown shooting, frustration is mounting in Providence as authorities continue their search without a suspect in custody and without a clear image of the attacker’s face.
“There’s no discouragement among people who understand that not every case can be solved quickly,” Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said at a news conference Wednesday.
Investigators have scoured the area for evidence and urged the public to review phone and security footage from the week leading up to the attack, believing the shooter may have cased the scene beforehand. Officials have not indicated they are close to making an arrest.
Surveillance gaps complicate investigation
Police have released several videos from before and after the shooting that show a person matching witnesses’ descriptions of the shooter. In the footage, the individual is seen standing, walking and running on streets near campus, but their face is obscured by a mask or turned away from cameras.
Brown officials say the university has about 1,200 cameras, but the shooting occurred in an older section of the engineering building with few, if any, cameras. Investigators believe the shooter entered and exited through a door facing a residential street, possibly avoiding campus surveillance.
City leaders acknowledge fear
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said Wednesday that the city is doing “everything possible” to keep residents safe, while acknowledging growing anxiety.
“It is a scary time in the city,” Smiley said, noting that families were likely having difficult conversations about whether to remain in town over the holidays.
“We are doing everything we can to reassure folks, to provide comfort, and that is the best answer I can give to that difficult question,” he said when asked whether the city was safe.
Motive unclear, suspect still at large
Investigators described the suspect as about 5 feet 8 inches (173 centimetres) tall with a stocky build. Authorities say the motive remains unknown and that there is no evidence suggesting a specific individual was targeted.