Tension mixed with grief and frustration has gripped Providence, Rhode Island, as police continue their search for a suspect believed to have killed two students and injured nine others at Brown University on Saturday.
The Ivy League campus, nestled in the city's East Side neighbourhood, has seen a heavy police presence, with helicopters and sirens heard throughout Monday. Law enforcement officers have been canvassing businesses, checking cameras, and using dogs to sweep properties.
Jennifer Kandarian, manager of Books on the Square, described the atmosphere as 'so tense'. Residents were further unsettled when authorities released a man detained earlier, and unfounded reports of another shooting caused local businesses to lock their doors. Police later attributed the noise to a boiler backfiring.
Several private schools closed as a precaution, while public schools remained open with increased security before cancelling all after-school activities. On Monday evening, police released footage of a new person of interest.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley acknowledged the community's shaken sense of safety, stating that restoring it would be a process. 'This has shaken us,' he said at a news conference, pledging a visible police presence to reassure the public.
Local businesses reported fewer customers than usual, with some closing early. A memorial outside the shooting site drew mourners leaving flowers and notes. A Brown graduate who was in the building during the attack sought solace in his work at Rhode Island Hospital, where injured students are being treated. Another alumna, Patricia Rodarte, reflected on the tragedy, saying, 'No place really is safe in the current landscape that we’re in.'
