Additional Coverage:
- Brown University shooting probe faces hurdles after campus empties out as witnesses scatter: former FBI agent (foxnews.com)
Investigation Into Brown University Shooting Faces Hurdles After Students Sent Home for Winter Break
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The ongoing investigation into the tragic shooting at Brown University is encountering significant challenges after university officials allowed students to depart for winter break, according to former law enforcement officials. This decision, made in the immediate aftermath of the incident, could potentially hinder the collection of crucial eyewitness accounts and delay the investigative process.
The shooting, which occurred around 4 p.m. Saturday at the Barus and Holley engineering building, resulted in the deaths of 19-year-old Ella Cook, vice president of the Brown University College Republicans, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. A person of interest was initially taken into custody early Sunday morning but was later released.
Following the devastating events, Brown University moved to cancel all remaining exams, classes, and projects, informing students they were free to leave campus for winter break. Brown University Provost Francis J.
Doyle III communicated this decision to the campus community, stating, “This choice was made out of our profound concern for all students, faculty and staff on our campus. In the immediate aftermath of these devastating events, we recognize that learning and assessment are significantly hindered in the short term and that many students and others will wish to depart campus.”
However, this compassionate decision by the university could complicate the police investigation. Former FBI investigator Bill Daly expressed concerns that the departure of students and some faculty members who may have been witnesses could slow down the collection of vital information. “I think one of the softest aspects of this investigation is the fact that the students and some of the faculty members or assistant teaching staff who were either in the building or in the room where the shooting took place have now left to go home, maybe left the campus and are not necessarily generally available for interviews,” Daly stated.
He emphasized the importance of immediately segregating potential witnesses at a crime scene to prevent “cross-pollution of what people heard or saw,” an opportunity that has now passed. Daly suggested that investigators will now rely on virtual discussions with students and faculty to document their accounts, a process that presents a greater challenge when individuals are dispersed across the country.
Michael Balboni, former homeland security advisor for New York State, echoed these concerns, noting the difficulty in obtaining eyewitness accounts when individuals are no longer readily accessible. Balboni acknowledged that Brown administrators faced an “extremely difficult decision” in canceling exams and allowing students to leave, balancing the need for investigation with the profound impact on the campus community.
The situation at Brown University draws parallels to other campus tragedies, such as the University of Idaho shooting in November 2022, where classes were canceled for a shorter period, though some students also left early for fall break. The coming weeks will test the investigators’ ability to gather comprehensive information despite the geographical spread of potential witnesses.