Hunt for Brown University killer handicapped by security lapses, campus budget cuts

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A masked gunman slipped into a Brown University study hall during finals week and opened fire — and not a single surveillance camera caught him inside. As investigators hunt for the killer, attention is turning to the university’s security measures and recent budget cuts.

Facing a $29 million budget deficit and financial strain, Brown leaders announced 48 layoffs in September, in addition to the elimination of 55 unfilled faculty positions, the school said in a statement.

Notifications to affected employees went out beginning the week of Sept. 22.

At the time, Brown President Christina Paxson and other top administrators also announced "modest, temporary reductions in information technology and facilities renewal."

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"Operating cost reductions will inevitably create challenges for some units and will affect service levels across campus," they said.

The school did not immediately respond to questions about whether the IT cuts impacted campus security.

Experts have said it's likely that the killer had a connection to the school and a possible grievance, but authorities have said they do not know the motive and with the suspect's identity unknown, it's unclear whether they are a current or former employee or student.

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"If this were a straightforward layoff grievance, you would typically expect administrators or decision makers to be the focus, but investigators cannot assume that," said Jason Pack, a former supervisory special agent with the FBI. "In real cases, grievance-driven violence often shifts toward where access is easiest and emotions are highest. That is why this could be one of many reasons about 'why' this happened that might lead to a 'who.'"

He said investigators are likely hard at work behind the scenes — illustrated by the release of images Wednesday of a new person police are hoping to speak with, who they say was seen near the person of interest.

Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said Tuesday evening that they don't have any surveillance video showing the gunman inside the Barus and Holley Building. Authorities have released a series of surveillance videos showing a person of interest in the surrounding area for hours before the shooting and then fleeing the scene. They are asking for the public's help identifying him.

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"Most shootings like this end the same way: hard police work, digital evidence that tightens the box and one crucial piece of information from the public that confirms what investigators already believe," Pack said.

In a statement, a Brown spokesperson said the university had more than 1,200 cameras positioned inside and outside more than 250 buildings, but administrators have struggled to explain an apparent dearth of cameras inside the Barus and Holley Building.

"Brown’s security cameras do not extend to every hallway, classroom, laboratory and office," the spokesperson said. "For security reasons, it is not prudent to share where cameras are and are not relative to individual buildings and locations."

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Still, the school has notably more cameras now than it did in 2000, when there were only 60 that recorded to VHS tapes, according to the Brown Daily Herald, a student newspaper.

Susan Constantine, a body language expert, said one key marker in his movement is an odd gait, in which his right leg bows inward while his toe points outward as he walks.

With a mask on and limited cameras, there's no clear view of his face or age. However, Constantine said some of his body language suggests he may be older than a typical undergrad student.

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"The hands behind the back appears from someone more mature, closer to mid-30s," she told Fox News Digital. "It’s either cultural or age."

The shooting left two students dead, identified as Ella Cook of Alabama and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov of Virginia, and nine injured.

Of the survivors, two have been released from the hospital while one is in critical but stable condition and six more are in stable condition.

Fox News' Sandy Ibrahim contributed to this report.