Investigators recovered live rounds from Brown University shooting scene: sources
As the manhunt for the Brown University shooter entered its sixth day Thursday, sources say police in Providence, Rhode Island, recovered live rounds from the shooting scene.
Interior view of Barus and Holley Room 166, the site where the shooting happened on the campus of Brown University in Providence, R.I. (Credit: Kenna Lee/The Brown Daily Herald)
The Providence police chief has confirmed investigators recovered physical evidence, including DNA, at the Brown University shooting scene that police are working to process.
When Fox News on Wednesday asked Col. Oscar Perez whether investigators were able to find live ammunition from the scene, the police chief said investigators were able to get physical evidence.
“Oh yeah, we seized a few physical evidence and we're in the process of examining that evidence,” Perez told Fox News. “And yes, we have some DNA that we manipulated and so it just progresses everyday.”
Perez added: “It progresses everyday with forensics, it progresses everyday with witness statements and so yeah, we're just trying to find out and we are going to do our best.”
A law enforcement official familiar with the case told The New York Times on condition of anonymity that DNA, along with fingerprints, came from shell casings from the shooting scene.
Fox News' Bryan Llenas and Fox News Digital's Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Crime scene tape outside of the Barus and Holley building on the campus of Brown University on December 16, 2025. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Fox News contributor Paul Mauro said sources told him that live ammunition was found at the shooting scene at Brown University, marking a positive sign for the investigation as police continue to search for the unidentified shooter.
“What I can tell you from my sources is that I think quite significantly, they have live rounds, that is, rounds that were not fired on detonated rounds,” Mauro said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Thursday. “Why does that matter? Because shell casings have enclosed a detonation. That's how bullets work. Which means they often destroy evidence and they're scorched."
“In the case of live rounds, think about what happens there on a nine millimeter automatic,” Mauro continued. “The perpetrator has to fat finger those live rounds, bullets, into a magazine, which is the sleeve that holds them and that gets put into the handle of the gun. That's how a semi-automatic works.”
Mauro said the evidence could be a “positive sign for the investigation” that has stretched into a sixth day Thursday.
“Live rounds at the scene, I think, is a hopeful sign for getting usable DNA, even if he's not in the database,” Mauro said.
Home security camera seen on the Brown University's president's home. (Credit: Google Maps)
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told Fox News on Wednesday the city will "certainly be doing a review" of its cameras following a fatal shooting at Brown University on Saturday.
The unidentified gunman, who killed two Brown University students and wounded nine others, is still at large as the manhunt drags into a fifth day.
"We will certainly be doing a review to think about where we might need additional camera footage," Smiley said. "We do have a network of technology, including things like license plate readers, which are aiding in this investigation."
He added the local police department is sending officers out to speak to residents about obtaining their doorbell or home security camera footage.
"Many of the residences have cameras, which is partially one of the reasons why it's taking so long, because we have to go door to door, but also why we're continuing to generate good new video because we're looking through vehicles [like Teslas, which have] cameras," Smiley said.
Fox News' Bryan Llenas contributed to this report.
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