Police have issued an arrest warrant for the suspect in a mass shooting at Brown University that killed two people and injured nine others, sources close to the investigation told CBS News.
Authorities are currently searching for both the individual and a rental car connected to the suspect. The identity of the suspect has not been publicly released.
Investigators are also exploring a potential link between the Brown shooting and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor two days later.
The investigation is now in its sixth day, with officers knocking on doors, seeking home security footage, and asking the public for tips.
A scheduled news conference in Providence, Rhode Island was cancelled, but police anticipated an update later in the day.
On Thursday, sources indicated that connections are being investigated between the shooter and the death of MIT nuclear science professor Nuno F Gomes Loureiro, who was killed at his Brookline home, approximately 50 miles from Providence.
This inquiry intensified after a rental car described in the Brown shooting was also reported near the location of the professor's murder.
While federal authorities initially claimed no links existed between the two cases, recent developments have shifted that perspective.
Authorities have released photos of an individual who may have pertinent information regarding the case, and Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez has stated that the suspect could be anywhere, emphasizing the need for public assistance.
The suspect was seen in video footage on university grounds, wearing a mask as if scouting the premises prior to the attack.
Public frustration is mounting over the perceived slow progress in the investigation, but Rhode Island's Attorney General Peter Neronha reassured that capturing the assailant is a priority. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the shooter.
The tragic event unfolded in Brown University's Barus & Holley engineering building during final exams, resulting in the deaths of Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman from Uzbekistan.
