Benjamin Erickson, Formerly of Wisconsin, Named as Brown University Person of Interest: Reporr
Benjamin Erickson, formerly of Wisconsin, was named by the Washington Post as the person of interest in the Brown University mass shooting that unfolded during final exams on the Providence, RI, campus.
Police have not confirmed the name.
"We have detained a person of interest," Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said in a December 14 news conference. Authorities said the person of interest was taken into custody on the morning of December 14, and was in their 30s. Authorities have not released a motive at this point, but they said that most of the nine surviving victims are in stable condition. Two people died in the attack, which unfolded as students were studying for final exams.
Benjamin Erickson Was Allegedly Apprehended at a Hampton Inn in Coventry
Coventry police assisted the FBI in the apprehension of the suspect of interests in the Brown University shooting here at the Hampton Inn in Coventry. @wpri12 pic.twitter.com/FU8bKg96aP
— Ryan Welch (@RyanWelchPhotog) December 14, 2025
According to NBC News, the suspect "had a unique characteristic on his firearm and that firearm was found when he was taken into custody." The suspect "had multiple firearms in their possession," two guns specifically, ABC News reported, adding that the suspect, was caught after a tip, was not a Brown University student.
A photographer for WPRI shared photos of a Hampton Inn and wrote, "Coventry police assisted the FBI in the apprehension of the suspect...in the Brown University shooting here at the Hampton Inn in Coventry."
The Providence Journal also reported that the suspect was taken into custody at "Coventry Inn."
Authorities previously released a video of the suspect, dressed all in black, walking down a sidewalk, but his face is obscured in the video.
NEW DETAILS: "Person of interest" in Brown University shooting taken into custody around 3:45AM ET, about 20 miles south of the school in Coventry, Rhode Island, @BryanLlenas reports. @livenowfox pic.twitter.com/erlVdcp7hc
— Josh Breslow (@JoshBreslowTV) December 14, 2025
All of the 11 victims were students, according to WJTV. "Coventry police told Nexstar’s WPRI that they assisted the FBI in apprehending the person of interest around 3:45 a.m. ET at a hotel on Center of New England Boulevard," the station reported.
Brown University's President Called the Shooting 'a Deeply Tragic Day'
Christina H. Paxson, Brown's president, called the mass shooting a "deeply tragic day for Brown, our families and our local community. There are truly no words that can express the deep sorrow we are feeling for the victims of the shooting that took place today at the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building."
"We lost two community members today who were fatal victims of the shooting, and at this point, we know there are at least eight additional victims who were transported to the hospital," she said. "In this moment, they are in critical but stable condition, but this is an evolving situation. Our hearts are with their families." However, authorities later upped the total injured to 11, with two of those people deceased.
(Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A dramatic video showed students taking shelter in a room when police enter.
The suspect's arrest came after a confusing series of contradictory statements about whether a suspect was in custody. Shortly after the shooting broke out, the university had said a suspect was in custody before retracting that comment.
"While DPS was at one point informed that there was an individual in custody, that person was determined not to be the shooting suspect after questioning," Paxon explained. "Therefore, we urge all members of our community to remain vigilant. We continue to be in lockdown, and it is imperative that all members of our community remain sheltered in place. This means keeping all doors locked and ensuring no movement across campus."