Breaking: Police Issue Arrest Warrant in Brown University Shooting

Authorities have reportedly secured an arrest warrant in connection with last week’s deadly mass shooting at Brown University, as investigators intensify efforts to determine whether the campus attack is connected to the targeted killing of a prominent MIT professor just days later.

Law enforcement sources say the suspect tied to the Brown massacre may also be linked to the murder of Nuno Loureiro, a respected plasma physicist and head of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. Loureiro was shot outside his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Monday—only two days after the shooting at Brown—and succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital the following day. Police are treating his death as a homicide.

Multiple sources familiar with the investigation confirmed the developments to CBS News on Thursday, noting that authorities had earlier identified a person of interest and launched an active manhunt.

The Brown University attack unfolded Saturday afternoon during final exams, when a gunman opened fire inside a campus classroom. Two students were killed and nine others wounded before the suspect fled the scene, triggering a massive law enforcement response.

In the aftermath, federal authorities stepped in. According to CBS News, the Federal Bureau of Investigation “released images and videos of the man they described as a person of interest walking around a nearby neighborhood several hours before the first 911 calls reporting the shooting came in.” The individual was reportedly dressed in black clothing and wearing a face mask.

The FBI has since announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s identification, capture, and conviction.

“The Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Providence Police Department, and the Rhode Island State Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the individual responsible for the mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday, December 13, 2025,” the FBI said in a public statement.

“Investigators believe the suspect, who is considered armed and dangerous, is approximately 5’8” tall with a stocky build,” the statement continued. “The public is being asked to review photos and video of the suspect and share the images on social media.”

“Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or the Providence Police Department at 401-272-3121.”

The latest developments follow public confusion earlier in the investigation, after federal authorities released another person of interest who had briefly been detained.

“We will be releasing the person of interest who had been detained earlier today,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said late Sunday.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, a Democrat, defended the decision, emphasizing that early setbacks are common in complex investigations.

“This is what these investigations look like,” Neronha explained. “Sometimes you head in one direction, and then you have to regroup and go in another.”

As the manhunt continues, the case has renewed concerns over campus security, public safety, and the ability of institutions to protect students and faculty amid rising violence—issues increasingly dominating the national conversation.