PROVIDENCE, RI — Five days have passed since a shooter opened fire at Brown University, and despite a $50,000 reward and a nationwide search, the suspect remains at large.
The investigation is focused on the formal identification of the suspect. Authorities currently have neither a name nor a clear facial profile of the shooter, according to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media. The suspect is described as approximately 5′8″ tall with a stocky build. At the time of the incident, he was seen wearing a dark two-tone jacket, a winter hat, a surgical-style mask, and carrying a satchel-style bag.
Charles Shannon, Associate Managing Director, Kroll Financial and Risk Advisory Solutions and retired Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Diplomatic Security for the U.S. State Department Office in Boston, warns that the trail grows colder with every passing hour. He notes that investigators are likely scouring cell phone tower records and university Wi-Fi logs to see if a device connected to the campus network at the time of the shooting—or in the days prior. Shannon explains that if a person walks into a place with Wi-Fi enabled, there will be a record of contact from that cell phone to the network, if the person had connected before. He said it would be logical for police to check ride-share and taxi records for the area surrounding the university to track any movement immediately following the event.
History suggests that high-profile fugitives are rarely caught by technology alone. Shannon, who was involved in the 2013 manhunt for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, emphasizes that the public is often the “force multiplier” that ends a search.
In the Tsarnaev case, a massive city-wide lockdown was only resolved when a Watertown resident noticed something amiss with a boat stored in his backyard. Similarly, the search for Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting of a New York insurance executive, ended in 2024 when a McDonald’s customer in Pennsylvania recognized him from news photos and alerted staff.
In another recent instance, Tyler Robinson was captured just 33 hours after the shooting of Charlie Kirk in Utah on September 11, 2025. Robinson was identified after a family member reached out to a family friend, which led authorities to his location. Digital evidence from the app Discord later revealed Robinson had discussed “drop points” for his rifle and even mentioned engraving bullets.
Shannon urges the public to look past the surgical mask and focus on physical mannerisms or specific items of clothing. He believes someone will eventually recognize how the person walked or identify the specific jacket they wore. Authorities are asking anyone with information, or who may recognize the suspect’s build or clothing, to come forward immediately to help get a dangerous individual off the street.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
