The shooting at Brown University exposed major vulnerabilities in a recently opened “real-time crime center” in Providence that cost more than $1 million but did not include surveillance video from the college campus.
Two people were killed and nine others were injured in a shooting at Brown University’s Burroughs and Hawley Engineering Buildings around 4 p.m. Saturday. One person involved was initially detained but later released due to evidence pointing to his involvement, officials said.
Mohammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook were killed in Saturday’s shooting. Cook, 19, is vice president of the Brown University College Republicans.
In August, the city of Providence, home to Brown University, announced the launch of a “real-time crime center” with access to hundreds of surveillance cameras, but none at the Ivy League school.
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This combined image created from photos provided by the FBI and the Providence, Rhode Island, Police Department shows a person of interest in a shooting that occurred at Brown University on Saturday, December 13, 2025.
“Improving public safety in every community has been a top priority of mine since my first year as mayor. Investments in the Providence Real-Time Crime Center enhance our ability to protect communities and improve the quality of life for everyone in Providence,” Mayor Brett Smiley said in announcing the center’s launch.
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The Real Time Crime Center is funded by a $1 million grant from the federal government. Providence also agreed to pay Axon Fusus $750,000 to run the system until 2028, with the option to extend, the Rhode Island Current reported.
Maj. David Lapatin, a detective with the Providence Police Department, told the Providence Journal that there was no live video feed from Brown University at the newly constructed center at the time of the shooting.
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A law enforcement officer walks through clothing on the sidewalk near the entrance to Brown University during a shooting investigation, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Providence, Rhode Island.
Police gathered outside the entrance to Brown University on Saturday to investigate the shooting.
Additionally, Lapatin said the crime center was unable to obtain any camera footage from the residence near the shooting.
Eric O’Neill, a cybersecurity expert and former FBI agent, told Fox Digital News that it would be helpful if Brown University allowed the crime center to use their security cameras.
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A police car is parked at an intersection near crime scene tape after a shooting at Brown University on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Providence, Rhode Island.
“It would be great if Brown subscribed to that data center because my understanding is that there is real-time monitoring, which means someone would see the activity on the camera and maybe law enforcement could be alerted earlier,” O’Neill said.
Police have released multiple videos and images of the suspect, but have not yet identified or arrested him.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Brown University and the city of Providence for comment.
Original source of the article: Brown University shooting reveals major gaps in Providence’s $1M ‘real-time crime center’