Brown shooting suspect still at large after person of interest freed

Authorities released a person of interest detained in the Brown University shooting on Sunday night after determining evidence no longer pointed to that individual, leaving investigators without a known suspect in the attack that killed two students and wounded nine others.

The reversal came during a late-night news conference, after authorities believed they made progress in the investigation when they detained a 24-year-old Wisconsin man at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 50 kilometres from Providence.

"We have a murderer out there," said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, whilst Providence Mayor Brett Smiley acknowledged that "the news is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community."

Authorities said special operations forces detained the person of interest at a Hampton Inn early Sunday morning, recovering two firearms and two loaded 30-round magazines.

One firearm was fitted with a laser sight. However, after examining evidence throughout the day, investigators determined it pointed in a different direction.

"I've been around long enough to know that sometimes you head in one direction and then you have to regroup and go in another and that's exactly what has happened over the last 24 hours or so," Neronha said.

He said there was initially "some degree of evidence" but "that evidence needed to be corroborated and confirmed."

The gunman opened fire on Saturday afternoon in a first-floor classroom of the Barus & Holley building during an economics review session. Engineering and economics exams were underway at the time. The building's outer doors were unlocked but rooms used for final exams required badge access, Smiley said.

One victim was identified by her church as Ella Cook, a Brown student and parishioner at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. The church's Reverend Craig Smalley called Cook "a bright light" in the community.

Of the nine wounded, seven remained in critical but stable condition on Sunday night, one was in critical condition, and one had been discharged. An additional person suffered non-life-threatening injuries from fragments.

All classes and exams cancelled over 'profound concern'

Brown cancelled all remaining classes, exams and projects for the semester, with Provost Francis Doyle saying the decision reflected "profound concern for all students, faculty and staff on our campus."

Students sheltered in locked rooms during the hours-long manhunt, with some hiding behind furniture as police searched the building. Durham Academy in North Carolina confirmed that recent graduate Kendall Turner was among the critically wounded.

Police released surveillance footage showing a suspect dressed in black walking from the scene along Waterman Street. The suspect may have been wearing a camouflage mask, witnesses told police. The suspect is described as male, possibly in his 30s.

Despite an enhanced police presence, officials did not recommend another shelter-in-place order like the one lifted early Sunday. "The status of safety in our community remains unchanged," Smiley said.

Eva Erickson, a doctoral candidate and runner-up on this year's "Survivor," said she left her engineering lab 15 minutes before the shooting began. The engineering student was locked down in the campus gym following the attack.

Brown senior biochemistry student Alex Bruce was working on a final research project in his dorm across the street from the building when he heard sirens outside.

“I’m just in here shaking,” he said, watching through the window as officers surrounded his dorm.

Brown, founded in 1764, is one of the nation's most prestigious universities, with roughly 7,300 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduate students.