Updated February 10, 2026
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Journos News) – Newly released police recordings from the day of the Brown University shooting in December show the immediate response to a campus attack that left two students dead and nine others injured. Providence officials said Monday that portions of the footage were withheld or heavily redacted to protect victims and sensitive details.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley acknowledged the challenge of balancing public transparency with the potential harm that unedited material could cause. “This was a difficult process to maintain our commitment to transparency, respond to media requests, and respect the public’s right to know, while mitigating serious risks to victims,” Smiley said at a press briefing. The city said additional footage remains under review, with release decisions made in consultation with legal advisors.
Media outlets had sought body camera footage, audio clips, and other records since the shooting occurred in mid-December. Monday’s release includes roughly 20 minutes of body camera video and police radio audio from the initial response.
Police Response Captured in Redacted Footage
The audio records a campus police officer contacting city authorities at 4:07 p.m.: “This is Brown police. We have confirmed gunshots at 184 Hope Street. We do have a victim but we do not know where they are.” Minutes later, a follow-up call included a suspect description: “Wearing all black and a ski mask, unknown travel direction.”
The video shows officers navigating a tense, chaotic environment, moving students to safety, and searching for the shooter. Objects including backpacks and gloves are scattered across hallways as officers attempt to secure the building.
“Let’s get these rescues in, where are we staging rescue?” one officer says, later adding, “Shooter might still be in the building, so use caution, alright.” Large portions of the video are blacked out or obscured by the officer’s arms. Officials said the released video provides the most comprehensive view without exposing graphic content.
Mayor Smiley noted that additional footage would not clarify the shooter’s motives. “Why did this person do this? None of those videos are going to answer that question,” he said.
Confusion and Misidentification During the Response
Other recordings capture officers reporting a possible sighting of the shooter on the second floor of a nearby building and mistakenly detaining a maintenance worker. Within minutes, officers realized the error and resumed the search.
City officials said the records were withheld until after a memorial service on campus at the request of the victims’ families. Smiley described families as “remarkably strong and resilient” and expressed concern that premature release could impede their recovery.
Shooting Details
On December 13, gunman Claudio Neves Valente, 48, entered a study session in a Brown academic building, killing 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov and wounding nine others. A police incident report released Monday described victims’ emotional reactions when shown photographs of the suspect.
Authorities have also linked Neves Valente to the fatal shooting of Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at his Boston-area home. Neves Valente, who had attended school with Loureiro in Portugal during the 1990s, was found dead days later in a New Hampshire storage facility.
The U.S. Justice Department said Neves Valente had planned the attacks for years. Investigators recovered videos from a storage unit in which he confessed to the killings, though he provided no explanation for his actions.
Source: AP News – New video footage released from day of the fatal Brown University shooting
