Providence police seen in NH searching for Brown University shooter; authorites look into possible link to MIT professor shooting

Flint McColgan and Todd Prussman, Boston Herald on Dec 18, 2025

Published in News & Features

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Police in Providence, Rhode Island, and other authorities, including the U.S. Marshals, are searching on a street off Route 28 in Salem, New Hampshire, as the investigation into Saturday’s Brown University shooting developed into a multistate manhunt with possible connections to the slaying of an MIT professor in his Brookline, Massachusetts, home.

The new investigative details have pushed back a news conference on the Brown University case originally scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday that had still not begun by 8 p.m. An official appeared briefly at 6:35 p.m. to say that “we’re having a press conference no matter what” but that he did not have an estimate of when it would begin.

MIT connection?

Investigators are looking into a possible connection between the Brown University shooting and the murder of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor in Brookline.

That’s according to reporting from WPRI, a Providence-based news outlet that says “senior law enforcement officials” confirmed they are examining the possibility of the two crimes, which both took place at or near elite New England universities about 50 miles from each other, being tied.

This is a new development, because on Tuesday FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks told reporters that investigators were not aware of a link.

“At this time, there seems to be no connection as it relates to that particular incident,” Docks said at a news conference. He added that the bureau was in contact with the Massachusetts State Police and that any evidence of their connection would be shared.

The Boston Herald reached out to the FBI’s Boston office spokesperson multiple times Thursday but did not hear back. An MSP media representative told the Herald that he had no updates in the search for the Brown shooter. An email to a Providence Police representative has not been returned Thursday.

New Hampshire

The Herald is on the scene on the small Hampshire Road off of Route 28 in Salem, New Hampshire, just north of the Massachusetts border. Providence police and other authorities are on the scene there, between a self-storage facility and an auto-repair shop, as the search continues for the shooting suspect. The road is shut down to traffic and police are turning away residents who live in the closed-off zone.

Police in Methuen, Massachusetts, which shares a border with Salem, New Hampshire, confirmed the presence of authorities in the area but said “there is no information indicating an imminent risk to the public or residents of Methuen."

“However, we encourage everyone to remain vigilant and exercise heightened caution,” the department added in a statement. “In particular, if you observe any individuals on foot who appear out of place, unfamiliar to the area, or behaving in a manner that seems unusual or suspicious, please report it.”

The shootings

Two were killed and nine others were wounded in the Saturday shooting at Brown University in Providence. The shooting occurred around 4 p.m. inside the Barus & Holley engineering building, where, according to the school’s academic calendar, finals were taking place.

Authorities have since identified the two deceased victims as Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook. Authorities have not identified the people wounded.

Then on Monday, MIT professor Nuno Loureiro was shot multiple times inside his Gibbs Street home in Brookline, a Boston suburb about 50 miles north of Providence. The professor of nuclear science and engineering directed the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT since last year and has taught at the school since January 2016, according to his LinkedIn page.

Authorities are searching for suspects in both cases.

Authorities in Providence released video and still images from those videos of the shooting suspect, who can be seen wearing a dark jacket, mask and hat as he walked around campus hours before the shooting. Authorities ask for the public’s help, with the FBI setting up a dedicated tip webpage at FBI.gov/brownuniversityshooting. Tipsters can contact the FBI by phone at 1-800-CALL-FBI or the Providence Police Department at (401) 272-3121.

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