As the Rhode Island community mourns, the FBI hopes a new digitally enhanced video will help generate tips from the public that could help them close in on the killer behind the brazen attack at Brown University that left two dead and nine injured over the weekend.
It's unknown if police or federal agents have been able to make headway into the large-scale manhunt across Rhode Island and beyond. The enhanced video offers sharper images of a masked man walking purposefully through Providence neighborhoods, possibly casing the area before the attack, according to police.
That person is more than likely the suspected shooter, not just a person of interest, Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez.
Handout images were provided by the FBI and Providence RIPD of the alleged Brown University shooting suspect.
Also still up in the air is any indication as to the shooter's motive, authorities said in a Tuesday evening news conference. Speculation about what the alleged shooter may have yelled before opening fire — while witnesses disagree if anything at all was said — is a "dangerous road to go down, particularly in today's environment," Attorney General Peter Neronha said.
Neronha said the investigative team has "zero" information about a motive.
The shooting rocked Providence and the community at Brown, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the country. A tree and Menorah lighting on Sunday morphed into a solemn candlelight vigil for the victims of the attack. The university is expected to host a virtual interfaith prayer service Wednesday.
The two students who were killed in the mass shooting have been identified as Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook, according to the university.
Person of interest likely a suspect in Brown shooting, city police chief says
The suspect in the Brown University shooting is seen in photos released by the FBI.
Providence’s top cop said the person wearing dark clothes seen in video footage shared by the FBI is likely more than just a person of interest in the shooting.
"There’s a lot of leads we have here that show that the person who committed this tragedy is the guy in this video," said Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez.
The chief did not say what other leads point to the person in the video footage.
Witnesses said the person was probably in his 30s, and it was unclear if the person was affiliated with Brown, Perez said.
'Nothing to indicate motive' in Brown shooting, AG says
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said there is "nothing to indicate motive at all related to ethnicity or political outlook."
"That is a dangerous road to go down," said the attorney general, adding that while one or two witnesses heard the shooter "shout something," others did not.
Neronha was speaking at a news conference on Tuesday evening. At about the same time, Brown put out a statement dispelling rumors about a potential suspect, urging people not to target individuals. The university removed a webpage featuring a community member and said there was "harmful doxxing activity."
Brown confirms identities of 2 students killed: 'Brilliant and beloved'
Brown University President Christina Paxson on Tuesday confirmed the identities of the two students who were shot and killed on campus over the weekend, remarking that they were both near the start of their college careers.
Ella Cook was a sophomore and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov was in his very first semester, Paxson said. Cook was an "accomplished competitive pianist," vice president of the school's Republican Club, member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and a volunteer at her home church in Alabama, Paxson said. Umurzokov planned to concentrate in biochemistry and molecular biology on his way to becoming a neurosurgeon, and in high school in Virginia served as president of his Model United Nations chapter and Scholastic Bowl team captain, Paxson said.
"Both were brilliant and beloved — as members of our campus community, but even more by their friends and families. Our hearts continue to be with them in their profound sorrow," Paxson said.
Photos show aftermath, search for Brown University shooter
A law enforcement officer canvasses with a police dog as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
An FBI Evidence Response Team searches the grounds of a building, with a security camera on the second floor, next to the site of the Brown University shooting, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Law enforcement officers canvass Waterman Street as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Brown University students move out as campus closes for the semester and the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Dan Beazley, a resident of Michigan, speaks with students while he holds a cross in front of the Barus & Holley engineering building as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Flowers and a stuffed bear rest in front of the Van Wickle Gates as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Brown University students wait at Providence Station to board trains out of the city, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Photos of the two victims, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook, rest among the flowers in front of the Barus & Holley engineering building as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Photos of the two victims, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook, rest among the flowers in front of the Barus & Holley engineering building as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
An altar server lights the candle of a community member during a community service dedicated to healing at St. Stephen’s Church, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
St. Stephen’s Church holds a community service dedicated to healing, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
A police vehicle stands near the site of a mass shooting reported by authorities at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 13, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
An "America study is at stake" sign is attached to a pole, at the site of Saturday's mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Maria Alejandra Cardona TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Brown University students are escorted by police as they leave the building where the shooting occurred in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 13, 2025. Marc Vasconcellos/USA Today Network via REUTERS. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
Flowers and candles rest in front of the Barus & Holley engineering building, the day after Brown University was locked down amid reports of a shooting on campus in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
People embrace during a candlelit vigil at Lippitt Memorial Park, following a shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Students stand in front of the Van Wickle Gates after placing flowers, following a shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Attendees light their candles during a vigil at Lippitt Memorial Park the evening after Brown University was locked down amid reports of a shooting on campus in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Attendees hold candles and listen to local artists sing during a vigil at Lippitt Memorial Park the evening after Brown University was locked down amid reports of a shooting on campus in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Attendees wait for hot beverages and blankets from Providence Canteen truck and Red Cross during a vigil at Lippitt Memorial Park the evening after Brown University was locked down amid reports of a shooting on campus in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Claudio Neves Valente, suspect in the Brown University shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, picks up a vehicle at an Alamo Rent a Car in this frame grab from CCTV released in an affidavit by the Providence Police December 18, 2025. Providence Police/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY
Local, state and federal law enforcement agents, including from the FBI, take part in the search for the Brown University shooter, in Salem, New Hampshire, U.S., December 18, 2025. REUTERS/CJ Gunther
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, with Providence Police Chief Colonel Oscar Perez and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, announce that the Brown University shooter, shown in photographs behind them and identified as Claudio Neves Valente, was found dead, during a press conference in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 18, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Claudio Neves Valente, suspect in the Brown University shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, picks up a vehicle at an Alamo Rent a Car on November 17, 2025 in this frame grab from CCTV released in an affidavit by the Providence Police on December 18, 2025. Providence Police/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
An investigator works the scene at a storage facility where the Brown University shooter, identified by authorities as Claudio Neves Valente, took his own life, in Salem, New Hampshire, U.S., December 18, 2025. REUTERS/CJ Gunther



