In a shocking turn of events during finals week, a gunman managed to infiltrate a study hall at Brown University in Providence, R.I., and opened fire without being captured by any surveillance cameras. This alarming incident has cast a spotlight on the university’s security protocols, especially in light of recent budgetary constraints.
Amidst financial challenges, Brown University had announced a series of cost-cutting measures to address a $29 million budget deficit. In September, the university revealed plans for 48 staff layoffs and the discontinuation of 55 vacant faculty positions, according to an official statement.
The notifications regarding these layoffs began circulating around the week of September 22. In tandem, Brown University’s President, Christina Paxson, alongside other senior administrators, communicated plans for “modest, temporary reductions in information technology and facilities renewal.”
During a news conference on December 13, 2025, following the mass shooting that led to a campus lockdown, President Paxson emphasized the repercussions of these budget cuts, stating, “Operating cost reductions will inevitably create challenges for some units and will affect service levels across campus.” Her words underscore the difficult balance between fiscal responsibility and maintaining a secure, well-resourced academic environment.
Brown University President Christina H. Paxson speaks during a news conference after a mass shooting prompted a lockdown on campus on Dec. 13, 2025. (Getty)
“Operating cost reductions will inevitably create challenges for some units and will affect service levels across campus,” they said.
The school did not immediately respond to questions about whether the IT cuts impacted campus security.
Experts have said it’s likely that the killer had a connection to the school and a possible grievance, but authorities have said they do not know the motive and with the suspect’s identity unknown, it’s unclear whether they are a current or former employee or student.
“If this were a straightforward layoff grievance, you would typically expect administrators or decision makers to be the focus, but investigators cannot assume that,” said Jason Pack, a former supervisory special agent with the FBI. “In real cases, grievance-driven violence often shifts toward where access is easiest and emotions are highest. That is why this could be one of many reasons about ‘why’ this happened that might lead to a ‘who.’”
He said investigators are likely hard at work behind the scenes — illustrated by the release of images Wednesday of a new person police are hoping to speak with, who they say was seen near the person of interest.
Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team search for evidence near the campus of Brown University, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said Tuesday evening that they don’t have any surveillance video showing the gunman inside the Barus and Holley Building. Authorities have released a series of surveillance videos showing a person of interest in the surrounding area for hours before the shooting and then fleeing the scene. They are asking for the public’s help identifying him.
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“Most shootings like this end the same way: hard police work, digital evidence that tightens the box and one crucial piece of information from the public that confirms what investigators already believe,” Pack said.
In a statement, a Brown spokesperson said that the university had more than 1,200 cameras positioned inside and outside more than 250 buildings, but administrators have struggled to explain an apparent dearth of cameras inside the Barus and Holley Building.
Surveillance camera graphic shows blindspot near Barus and Holley building at Brown University. (Surveillance Under Surveillance)
“Brown’s security cameras do not extend to every hallway, classroom, laboratory and office,” the spokesperson said. “For security reasons, it is not prudent to share where cameras are and are not relative to individual buildings and locations.”
Still, the school has notably more cameras now than it did in 2000, when there were only 60 that recorded to VHS tapes, according to the Brown Daily Herald, a student newspaper.
Susan Constantine, a body language expert, said one key marker in his movement is an odd gait, in which his right leg bows inward while his toe points outward as he walks.
A split image showing multiple still frames from the surveillance video taken near Brown University of a person of interest before and after a school shooting Saturday. (FBI Boston)
With a mask on and limited cameras, there’s no clear view of his face or age. However, Constantine said some of his body language suggests he may be older than a typical undergrad student.
“The hands behind the back appears from someone more mature, closer to mid-thirties,” she told Fox News Digital. “It’s either cultural or age.”
A still image from surveillance video shows the person of interest in the Brown University mass shooting with his arms behind his back on a sidewalk near the crime scene. (Providence Police Department)
The shooting left two students dead, identified as Ella Cook of Alabama and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov of Virginia, and nine injured.
Of the survivors, two have been released from the hospital while one is in critical but stable condition and six more are in stable condition.
