Posted originally on CTH on December 15, 2025 | Sundance

Previously, overnight Saturday/Sunday police arrested a man named Benjamin Erickson (24) as the suspect {link} in the Brown University attack that left two people killed and nine injured.   At the time of the detainment Providence’s police chief, Col. Oscar Perez, told media, “Police are confident the man in custody is the suspected gunman.” {link] He added he wanted to ensure that all legal requirements are met before charges are brought.

According to media reports, “the man had a unique characteristic on his firearm, the officials said, and that firearm was found when he was taken into custody.” {link}

“We’re going to work with the attorney general’s office to make sure that we have the right legal requirements for the charges,” Perez said. “And this is, it’s just complex. There’s a lot of evidence, there’s a lot of witnesses, and so we have to make sure that we have it all tight. And to make sure we have a good case.” Perez said police cannot hold the person of interest beyond tomorrow (Sunday) if charges are not filed. He said he is hoping an arraignment will take place “sooner rather than later.” {link w/ video}

Shortly before midnight local authorities announced they were releasing the “person of interest”, aka Benjamin Jackson, but told the community not to worry as there is no alternative threat to the community. WATCH:

RHODE ISLAND – PROVIDENCE: A person of interest detained after a Brown University shooting that killed two students and injured nine will be released after an investigation took law enforcement authorities in a “different direction,” officials said Sunday night.

The disclosure, made at a hastily convened late night news conference, represents a stunning turn of events in an investigation into killings that rattled the Ivy League campus and came more than 12 hours after officials had announced that they had taken a person into custody in connection with the attack.

[…] The gunman opened fire inside a classroom in the engineering building, firing more than 40 rounds from a 9 mm handgun, a law enforcement official told AP. Two handguns were recovered when the person of interest was taken into custody and authorities also found two loaded 30-round magazines, the official said. One of the firearms was equipped with a laser sight that projects a dot to aid in targeting, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity.

One student of the nine wounded students had been released from the hospital, said Paxson. Seven others were in critical but stable condition, and one was in critical condition. (READ MORE)

Occam’s Razor.  The suspect, Benjamin Jackson, could only be held for 24 hours without charges.  [Detained overnight Sat, clock ticks to overnight Sun] The attorney general would have needed to file charges on Sunday evening to avoid detainment issue.  The AG office doesn’t work full staff on Sunday, and the police detainment was too fast for them.  RESULT: Benjamin Jackson is released.

This is Providence, Rhode Island. One of the most Moonbat communities in a sea of Moonbat politics. DEI, not competency, is their operational language.  It’s just how the far-left rolls in combination with a police arrest of an individual who holds the same ideological alignment as the local officials in charge.

Ultimately, as suspected and rumored within the discussion of this story, the shooter (leftist) and the victims (conservatives) are on opposite sides of the political dynamic.  A college republican group on this campus would be a very small segment of the overall student/faculty population.

“The shooting happened during a final exam review session in a Principles of Economics class, according to the class’s professor, Rachel Friedberg. She did not immediately respond to a message seeking more information.” (Source)

As the mayor said, there is no “risk” to the larger Providence community in releasing the suspect, because the motives of the shooting indicate only a very narrow segment of the Providence population would be targeted.