Early Sunday morning, a person of interest in the tragic mass shooting at Brown University was taken into custody by police. Now, law enforcement sources have released more details about his identity. They identified him as 24-year-old Benjamin Erickson. Here’s what we know about him so far: BREAKING: The Brown University “person of interest” who has been detained by law enforcement has been identified as 24 year old Benjamin Erickson, per NBC Erickson, born in 2001, has a potentially extensive mental health history, and may have a connection to Brown, per WaPo… pic.twitter.com/0NoIrY2F1j — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 14, 2025 BREAKING: The Brown University “person of interest” who has been detained by law enforcement has been identified as 24 year old Benjamin Erickson, per NBC Erickson, born in 2001, has a potentially extensive mental health history, and may have a connection to Brown, per WaPo He supposedly drove from Wisconsin to Providence yesterday, and was detained several miles from the university. Early reports indicated that he yelled “something” before carrying out the shooting, leading many to suspect that this may have been yet another Islamic terror attack. But, Benjamin Erickson certainly doesn’t sound like an Arabic name… We don’t have any details about his motive, at this time. Authorities suspect he had long-term mental health issues. The New York Post reported: The person of interest in the deadly mass shooting at Brown University has been ID’d as a 24-year-old man from Wisconsin with possible long-standing mental-health issues, law-enforcement sources told The Post. Benjamin Erickson was nabbed at a local hotel room after a gunman opened fire at the Ivy League institution’s Providence, RI, campus during a final-exam study session Saturday. The shooter was armed with a handgun and fired more than 40 .9mm rounds during the chaos, law-enforcement officials said. Police have only said a person of interest was taken into custody at a Coventry, RI, hotel at around 3:45 a.m. Sunday. But sources identified the man in custody as Erickson and said authorities are looking into his potential long battle with mental-health problems and also his possible connection to Brown. A revolver — and a small handgun equipped with a special laser light — were found in Erickson’s hotel room, according to sources and CNN. Sources told The Post that the unique laser light on his handgun helped lead them to the person of interest. Benjamin Erickson had military experience, serving from 2021-2024. NBC News confirmed: Public records indicate that as of 2024, Benjamin Erickson’s residence was an apartment in Washington, D.C., and that he previously lived in Wisconsin. Erickson served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army from May 2021 to November 2024, according to a statement from Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro. Initial public records searches do not indicate that he had a previous criminal record. “He has no deployments and left the Army in the rank of specialist,” Castro said. Erickson has been detained as a person of interest in the Brown shooting, three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News. No official photos have been released of Erickson, despite a few alleged photos circulating on social media. It’s unclear whether these photos are of the same Benjamin Erickson that was taken into custody or someone else, but I will show you anyways: This is the Brown University mass shooter. 24-year-old Benjamin Erickson from West Bend Wisconsin. Cyber Warfare Officer | United States Army | University of Wisconsin Madison Alum. pic.twitter.com/kFEcrycL8i — JLR© (@JLRINVESTIGATES) December 14, 2025 The suspect in the Brown University shooting has been identified as 24 year old Benjamin Erickson from Wisconsin. Authorities detained Erickson at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 15 miles southwest of Brown’s campus. Investigators were able to track and locate him… pic.twitter.com/wCKThUpHL0 — Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) December 14, 2025 The suspect in the Brown University shooting has been identified as 24 year old Benjamin Erickson from Wisconsin. Authorities detained Erickson at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 15 miles southwest of Brown’s campus. Investigators were able to track and locate him using cellphone geolocation data. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more information… Please keep all of the victims and their families in your prayers.