Providence Mayor Brett Smiley revealed in a press conference late on Sunday night the person of interest that had been detained after the Brown University shooting ‘would soon be released.’

‘We know that this is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community,” Mayor Smiley said.

‘We believe that you remain safe in our community.’

One of the two students who died in the shooting on Saturday has been identified as 19-year-old Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama.

Cathedral Church of the Advent Rev. Craig Smalley described Cook as a ‘bright light’ in the world.

‘Tragically one of our parishioners, Ella Cook, was one of those who was killed yesterday,’ he said in his sermon on Sunday.

He then went on to describe her as ‘an incredible, grounded, faithful bright light… not only here growing up here at the Advent, in the myriad ways in which she served faithfully and the ways in which she encouraged and lift up those around her, but at Brown University, she was an incredible light in that particular place as well.’

Police Chief Oscar L. Perez Jr. said the FBI ‘followed through with’ a tip they received which led them to the initial person of interest.

‘They ended up coming and locating this individual of interest,’ Perez said.

But ultimately there was not enough evidence to press charges, which has led to the decision to release him from detention.

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha of Rhode Island said during the press conference ‘that evidence now points in a different direction.

‘That means this person of interest needs to be released… it is really unfortunate this person’s name was leaked to the public, that is unfortunate.

‘I think it’s fair to say that there is no basis to consider him a person of interest, so that’s why he’s being released.’

Amith Chintalapati, a junior at Brown, told NBC News how he came to the aid of an injured student.

He said he was walking to get food on campus yesterday when he noticed ‘that two people got shot and made their way to the street.’

‘People were applying pressure and trying to keep them from bleeding out,’ he recounted, telling how he recognized one of the people on the ground as his classmate.

‘I was staying with him and trying to keep him calm and conscious until the EMTs arrived,’ he recalled. ‘I just kept telling him he was OK and to breathe and just wait for the EMTs to arrive. And he kept saying: “I just got shot. I just got shot.”‘

Chintalapati said he has since learned his classmate is stable and in the hospital.

‘The other people that were helping out were really lifesavers,’ he said.

‘I was kind of freaking out, but they jumped right into action, putting pressure on the wounds, making sure no one bled out.’

The Buffalo Bills were in Providence, Rhode Island on Sunday night when the shooting took place.

Quarterback Josh Allen confirmed to OutKick that his team was staying at a hotel nearby when a shelter-in-place order was issued, calling it a ‘very, very scary situation.’

‘Obviously, condolences to the families and prayers are out to everyone that was involved and affected by it,’ Allen said.

‘It’s a terrible thing. But, yeah, obviously, we [were] out, some guys [were] eating dinner blocks away from where it was going on.’

One of Erickson’s former high school classmates, Bryce Jankowski, described the shooting suspect as being well-behaved and ‘wicked smart.’

He told CNN he did not remember Erickson making any concerning statements, harboring extremist views or having any behavioral challenges.

After high school, Jankowski said Erickson told him he was in sniper school with the US military.

They had recently reconnected, at which point Erickson ‘said he was doing good.

‘He said he was living in a hotel because his apartment flooded, but that didn’t seem to bother him,’ Jankowski said.

A former wrestling teammate also described Erickson as a ‘pretty nice guy’ who was ‘quiet.’

‘He becomes really outgoing when you get to know him, but he’s pretty quiet when you don’t.’

The Providence Police Department said Sunday that efforts to charge a suspect are ‘active and ongoing.’

‘The Providence Police Department continues to work closely with the Rhode Island State Police, the FBI, local law enforcement partners, and federal, state, and local officials to review evidence and gather all relevant facts,’ said Kristy dosReis, spokesperson for the Providence Police Department.

‘Additional information will be released as it becomes available and once we have a clearer and more complete picture of the circumstances involved,’ she said.

‘We appreciate the media’s assistance in helping to keep the public informed,’ dosReis added, noting it will be the last public update for the night.

Federal authorities were seen raiding a home in Cedarsburg, Wisconsin, where Benjamin Erickson grew up.

The Cedarburg Police Department then shared on Facebook that it was ‘made aware by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of their presence in our city to conduct interviews’ related to the shooting at Brown.

‘Cedarburg Police Department offers its condolences and thoughts to those killed, injured or otherwise impacted in the Brown University shooting incident,’ the department noted.

Benjamin Erickson, the man who was initially taken custody for Saturday’s deadly shooting, has been pictured for the first time.

A LinkedIn profile for the suspect notes that he served as an infantry soldier in the US Army, where he passed sniper training, had experience with different types of firearms and served as a rifleman from 2021 through 2024.

For his service, Erickson received a good conduct medal, his LinkedIn page shows.

It also states that he participated in ‘security duties’ near the president and assisted with funeral ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery.

The LinkedIn page further notes that he was open to volunteering opportunities – listing a variety of causes from animal welfare, civil rights, gender equity, public safety and refugee and migrant support.

The former person of interest took classes online from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after graduating high school, with a focus on psychology.

He then transferred to Brown for the fall semester, after his military service ended, according to the LinkedIn page.