Who is Benjamin Erickson, reported person of interest in Brown University shooting?
A person of interest has been identified following a shooting Saturday at Brown University that least two dead and nine others wounded, according to officials.
The shooting has drawn sympathies from prominent figures, including President Trump, Vice President Vance and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). The person of interest was detained overnight, Providence, R.I., Police Department Chief Oscar Perez said early Sunday.
Here’s what you need to know about Benjamin Erickson, the reported person of interest for the shooting:
He reportedly is 24 and from Wisconsin
Both The Washington Post and NBC News reported Sunday that Erickson, 24, was a person of interest for the shooting, their sources said. The Post reported that two people briefed on the investigation said Erickson is from Wisconsin.
On Sunday, Erickson was put in custody at a hotel by federal agents in Coventry, R.I., the Post reported. Two firearms from Erickson were retrieved by agents, a source said, per the Post.
He reportedly has ties to Washington, D.C.
NBC News has reported that per public records, Erickson lived in a Washington, D.C., apartment in 2024. The Post also reported that he possibly spent time on D.C.’s Southwest Waterfront in an apartment there, per public records. When the Post went to the apartment on Sunday, a person did not come to the door, the outlet reported.
He reportedly was an Army member
Between May 2021 and Nov. 2024, Erickson spent time as an Army infantryman, Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro said in a statement obtained by NBC News.
“He has no deployments and left the Army in the rank of specialist,” the Army spokesperson said, according to NBC News.
The Hill has reached out to the Army for confirmation on Erickson’s military status.
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