Here's everything you need to know about the 24-year-old man named Benjamin Erickson, who has been identified as a person of interest by the US authorities in the Brown University shooting.
On December 13, 2025, a normal Saturday afternoon at the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, USA, was turned into a deadly mass shooting. The incident occurred at a large academic complex, the Barus & Holley Engineering Building, where final exams were underway at the end of the fall semester. It was around 4-4:30 pm when the gunshots were fired inside a classroom, in which two people were killed, and nine were injured. Most of the victims were students and were taken straight to the Rhode Island Hospital.
According to the early reports, police confirmed that two people are dead and nine are critically wounded but stable at the moment. As soon as the tragedy was reported, authorities issued an active shooter alert and ordered a shelter-in-place across the surrounding areas. Not only this, but the authorities have also asked all the students to stay indoors and lock their doors and windows until the situation is under their control.
In response to the tragic shooting incident that happened at the campus of Brown University, the Providence Police Department joined hands with the FBI and other federal agencies to launch a major manhunt. From tracking leads to reviewing the surveillance footage, initial reports suggest that the shooter was a male, dressed in black or dark clothing. According to initial reports, the person was walking calmly away from the building before disappearing from the scene.
On December 14, 2025, authorities confirmed that they had taken a person into custody at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 15-20 miles from the Brown University campus. According to the reports, law enforcement has identified the person in dark clothing as Benjamin Erickson. The 24-year-old man is originally from Wisconsin, USA. Erickson was held in custody by the authorities in the early hours of Sunday morning after the federal agencies, with the help of cellphone geolocation data.
When the officers detained Benjamin Erickson, they recovered two firearms from his hotel room. At the moment, authorities have not charged Erickson formally or publicly confirmed that he was the shooter. According to The Washington Post, they’re referring to him as a “person of interest” during the ongoing investigation, instead of publicizing his name as the shooter. Authorities are carefully examining all the angles, including Erickson’s family background, connection to Brown University, and his mental health history.
There’s a huge buzz on social media as people are circulating Benjamin Erickson’s name, but law enforcement has continued to withhold the personal data in order to keep privacy intact until he is proven guilty. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting attack, Brown University has suspended all the remaining final exams and has also closed several parts of the campus for an indefinite time. The university authorities have encouraged students to return home for their safety and have arranged counseling and trauma support services.
The Providence Mayor, Brett Smiley, has described the attack as a devastating incident, while Rhode Island’s Governor, Dan McKee, has announced that all the necessary resources will be deployed to aid the victims. The Brown University President, Christina H. Paxson, also reacted to the unfortunate shooting attack and called the incident “a day no university community is prepared for” and expressed profound sorrow.
The shooting incident has once again put the safety of the American public and educational organisations in the spotlight. From X to Instagram and Reddit columns, netizens are sharing their concern regarding the massive rise in school and college shootings as they’re starting to ask serious questions to the American federal agencies and the police department. In recent decades, Americans have witnessed so many heartbreaking and terrifying gun violence incidents that have not only taken the lives of so many innocent children and people but have also traumatized many.
We hope federal agencies soon confirm the identity of the person who is responsible for this inhuman incident that has traumatised so many families.
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