They Know Who He Is

Six days. That's how long this killer has been walking free.

But tonight, we have a name. We have a warrant. And we might have something much bigger than anyone expected.

Multiple law enforcement sources are now confirming to Fox News, CNN, CBS, and ABC that Providence Police have identified a suspect in the Brown University mass shooting and obtained an arrest warrant. The identification reportedly happened late Wednesday night, and authorities have been hunting him ever since.

Sources say the suspect is in his 40s. That's all we know publicly. No name released. No mugshot. Just a warrant and a manhunt that just shifted into high gear.

But here's where it gets bigger.

The MIT Connection

Investigators are now looking into whether the Brown shooting is connected to the murder of MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro, who was shot multiple times in the lobby of his Brookline, Massachusetts home Monday night. He died Tuesday morning. A husband. A father of three. One of the world's leading plasma physicists.

The two crime scenes are 50 miles apart. Brown in Providence. Loureiro's home in Brookline. The information connecting them emerged in the last 24 hours as detectives from both investigations compared notes.

Is this the same shooter? We don't know yet. Authorities are stressing that nothing is definitive. But the fact that they're even looking at a connection tells you something significant is happening behind the scenes.

The Evidence Trail

DNA. Fingerprints. Shell casings. Live rounds that were never fired.

Those live rounds are actually significant. Fox News contributor Paul Mauro explained why: when you load a 9mm magazine, you have to physically handle each bullet. Shell casings get scorched during firing and often lose usable evidence. But unfired rounds? Those can hold clean fingerprints and DNA.

The shooter fired more than 40 rounds into that classroom. He apparently fumbled some. Left evidence behind. The forensics team has been processing it all week.

The surveillance footage released earlier this week shows him walking the neighborhood for hours before the attack. Casing the area. Planning his escape. The FBI enhanced what they could, but the images remain grainy. No clear face shot. Just a figure in black with a face mask.

That footage showed him there as early as 10:30 AM. The shooting happened around 4 PM. Five and a half hours of reconnaissance. This wasn't random rage. This was planned.

The Victims

We need to say their names again. Because this isn't about a manhunt. It's about two lives that will never be lived.

Ella Cook was 19 years old. A sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama. Vice president of the Brown College Republicans. Her pastor called her "an incredible, grounded, faithful, bright light." She was studying. Finals week. She had her whole life ahead of her.

Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov was 18. A freshman from Virginia, originally from Uzbekistan. He wasn't even enrolled in the economics class that was targeted. He went to help a friend study. Sat in the front row. Dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon after surviving brain surgery as a child. His sister said he "never took anything for granted."

Ella and Aziz. Remember those names.

Nine others were shot. As of this afternoon, all have either been discharged or are in stable condition. One student, Spencer Yang, was shot but still provided aid to a severely wounded classmate until first responders arrived. That's the kind of person Brown produces. That's what was attacked.

What Happens Now

They have a warrant. They have a name. The suspect is reportedly in his 40s. The question now is where he's hiding and how long it takes to find him.

If this does connect to the MIT murder, we're looking at something much more disturbing than a single mass shooting. We're looking at a targeted campaign against academic institutions in New England. We're looking at a killer who planned, executed, escaped, and potentially killed again 48 hours later 50 miles away.

The FBI is offering $50,000 for information leading to arrest and conviction. If you know something, say something. Tips can be submitted at FBI.gov/BrownUniversityShooting or by calling the Providence Police tip line at 401-272-3121.

Rain is expected in Providence tomorrow. Evidence that hasn't already been destroyed by this week's snow could wash away. The clock is ticking. But for the first time in six days, it feels like law enforcement is closing in.

They know who he is. Now they need to find him.

▶️ WATCH NOW Brown University Shooter Identified, Warrant Issued

I'll be following this case closely as it develops. When they make an arrest, you'll hear about it here first.