Previously, overnight Saturday/Sunday police arrested a man named Benjamin Erickson (24) as the suspect {link} in the Brown University attack that left two people killed and nine injured. At the time of the detainment Providence’s police chief, Col. Oscar Perez, told media, “Police are confident the man in custody is the suspected gunman.” {link] He added he wanted to ensure that all legal requirements are met before charges are brought.
According to media reports, “the man had a unique characteristic on his firearm, the officials said, and that firearm was found when he was taken into custody.” {link}
“We’re going to work with the attorney general’s office to make sure that we have the right legal requirements for the charges,” Perez said. “And this is, it’s just complex. There’s a lot of evidence, there’s a lot of witnesses, and so we have to make sure that we have it all tight. And to make sure we have a good case.” Perez said police cannot hold the person of interest beyond tomorrow (Sunday) if charges are not filed. He said he is hoping an arraignment will take place “sooner rather than later.” {link w/ video}
Shortly before midnight local authorities announced they were releasing the “person of interest”, aka Benjamin Erickson, but told the community not to worry as there is no alternative threat to the community. WATCH:
RHODE ISLAND – PROVIDENCE: A person of interest detained after a Brown University shooting that killed two students and injured nine will be released after an investigation took law enforcement authorities in a “different direction,” officials said Sunday night.
The disclosure, made at a hastily convened late night news conference, represents a stunning turn of events in an investigation into killings that rattled the Ivy League campus and came more than 12 hours after officials had announced that they had taken a person into custody in connection with the attack.





