Tag: rhode island

Police Release New Images and Video of ‘Person of Interest’ in Deadly Brown University Shooting

The FBI released new images of the ‘person of interest’ in the deadly Brown University shooting.

A total of two people were killed and nine were injured in Saturday’s mass shooting at Brown University.

Law enforcement took a ‘person of interest’ into custody overnight on Saturday but released him late Sunday.

A manhunt is underway for the ‘armed and dangerous’ Brown University shooter.

The FBI released three new videos of a person of interest and offered a $50,000 reward leading to the ID and arrest of the individual.

“The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.

“Anyone with information please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or the Providence Police Department at 401-272-3121,” Patel said.

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Providence Police Chief Evades Questions, Refuses to Say What Brown Shooter Shouted Before Opening Fire as Reports Indicate He Yelled “Allahu Akbar”

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez Jr., on Monday, evaded questions on the Brown University shooter and declined to say what witnesses claim the shooter yelled before opening fire at the university.

If the shooter were a White male, we would likely know everything about him.

Rhode Island Officials held a press conference on Monday to provide updates on the Saturday shooting and ongoing investigation as the manhunt for the shooter remains underway.

Witnesses say the shooter “yelled something” before killing two students and wounding nine more, and early reports suggest the shooter shouted “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire.

But Perez wouldn’t tell reporters what he said, claiming, “That’s part of the investigation.”

A reporter even pleaded with Perez to tell reporters what the shooter said to help the public identify him, reasoning that “it’s possible a friend or family member might recognize if the person said something that was significant.”

However, Perez claimed that he could not say, suggesting the case may be in jeopardy if he were to share this evidence.

Later, when another reporter pressed Perez, he gave similar answers, dodging the question again. After reporters began to shout questions about apparent cell phone videos from the scene, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley stepped in to declare a wrap on the presser.

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Police Release Person of Interest After Questioning in Brown University Shooting

Law enforcement will be releasing the person of interest in the Brown University shooting.

The manhunt for the Brown University shooter is still underway.

Two people are dead and nine are injured after a gunman opened fire at Brown University on Saturday.

Overnight Saturday and into Sunday morning, police took Benjamin Erickson into custody as a person of interest to question him.

Erickson, a Wisconsin native, was not enrolled as a student at Brown.

Later Sunday, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley announced law enforcement would be releasing Erickson from custody.

Officials do not have enough evidence to prosecute Erickson.

Police Chief Oscar Perez said the FBI “followed through with” a tip and located a person of interest.

Law enforcement looked into Erickson’s alleged history of mental health issues.

“We will be releasing the person of interest who had been detained earlier today,” said Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.

“We know that this is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community. And we want to reiterate what we said earlier, which remains true… we have not received any credible or specific threats to the Providence community,” he added.

“And so the status of safety in our community remains unchanged. And we believe that you remain safe in our community,” he said.

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Brown University Shooting Suspect Who “Yelled Something Unique” Before Attack On Jewish Studies Classroom Traveled From Wisconsin

It has been nearly 24 hours since a gunman stormed a Brown University classroom taught by Jewish professor Rachel Friedberg, who teaches the intersection of economics and Jewish studies, and reportedly “yelled something unique” before using a handgun and unleashing a hail of bullets in the classroom.

The suspect was apprehended earlier today, but authorities have not released the suspect’s name or a front-facing photograph. Given that Brown is one of the most heavily surveilled campuses in the nation, with more than 800 cameras, the absence of released footage raises questions, especially since the suspect reportedly “yelled something unique” before killing two people and injuring nine others in a Jewish econ-studies classroom.

New details from CNN, citing multiple law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation, say the suspect apprehended earlier today traveled from Wisconsin.

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OUTRAGE: Convicted Child Molester Democrat Who Served Only 15 Months for Sexually Abusing 13-Year-Old Girl Is Running for Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island

A Democrat convicted child molester who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl and later violated a no-contact order with the same child is now running for mayor of Providence, Rhode Island.

The horrific criminal history of Michael English, 54, was revealed just days after he announced his 2026 mayoral campaign.

According to reporting from The Providence Journal, English committed multiple sexual acts with the underage girl in 1997 when he was 26 years old.

The Providence Journal reports:

English – who is 54 years old – briefly mentioned in a letter announcing his campaign that he had previously been incarcerated:

“I made immature decisions that led to my arrest and a period of incarceration coupled with I dropped out of Hope High School in 1990 and, simply put, I failed to live up to my potential.”

The immature decisions seemingly refer to the then-26-year-old English’s relationship with a 13-year-old girl.

The Democrat pleaded no contest in 1998 to first-degree child molestation, sexual assault, second-degree child molestation, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Despite prosecutors pushing for serious prison time, he was sentenced to 20 years, with all but 18 months suspended, and he served only 15 months thanks to good-behavior credits.

“Although the Attorney General’s Office recommended a 40-year sentence, with seven years to serve, Superior Court Judge Ronald Gagnon issued English a 20-year sentence, with 18 and ½ years suspended, also ordering English to register as a sex offender,” the Providence Journal reports. “A suspended sentence reduces prison time if the convicted individual fulfills certain requirements. In this case, the judge suspended more than 90% of English’s sentence.”

In 2009, the same victim reported that English drove to her home and tried to contact her again. He was convicted of violating the no-contact order and served another 19 months behind bars. He claimed that he just happened to be living across the street from her.

Shockingly, English is not on Rhode Island’s public sex offender registry because his conviction predated stricter laws, and a court ruled he only had to register locally for 10 years.

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Rhode Island’s US Senators Defend Vote To Ban Hemp Despite Concerns It Will Kill A Growing State Industry

Mike Simpson is one of Rhode Island’s biggest cheerleaders for hemp cultivation and the plant’s derivative products—remedies, he believes, that may help where pharmaceutical medicines cannot.

It’s that very reason Simpson helped co-found Rhode Island’s only outdoor hemp farm, where he says many of the business’ products ship all across the country.

But Lovewell Farms may cease operations now that Congress has approved reopening the federal government under legislation that would effectively ban hemp products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC. Now that it has been signed by President Donald Trump, the ban will go into effect in a year.

“This might be the final straw,” Simpson said in an interview Wednesday. “I may have to shut my whole company down.”

Simpson doesn’t sell intoxicating products, but said crops grown at his Hopkinton farm can contain up to 1 milligram of THC in it, as is allowed under existing Rhode Island hemp regulations.

“I have 700 to 800 pounds of flower that I grew this year that under that law would not be legal,” he said.

Simpson said he would grow crops with lower concentrations, but as a USDA-certified organic farm, there aren’t that many seed suppliers he can buy from.

“We’re really at the whim of what those folks are providing,” he said.

The provision in the shutdown-ending appropriations bill was championed by GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in order to close a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp but inadvertently paved the way for the proliferation of hemp-derived THC products like infused drinks—products which states have since scrambled to either regulate or ban.

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School District Stymies Transparency By Demanding Six Figures to Provide Anti-Kirk Teacher’s Curriculum

Benjamin Fillo, a teacher at Barrington High School in Rhode Island, came under fire for disturbing comments he made following the political assassination of conservative leader and icon Charlie Kirk.

The school district is now making it difficult for parents to access Fillo’s curriculum through a FOIA request by demanding a six-figure fee to provide the information.

Just the News reports:

Rhode Island’s Barrington Public Schools demanded six figures just to turn over one social studies teacher’s curriculum in response to Access to Public Records Act requests to discern whether Benjamin Fillo’s classroom lessons reflected the viewpoints in his once-public TikTok video that said the “piece of garbage” Kirk got what he deserved.

The district separately estimated that producing Fillo’s roughly 2,200 work emails going back to 2016 that include the word “Trump,” the other APRA request, would cost about $1,100.

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In correspondence shared with Just the News, the district blamed the now-$116,000 estimate on the scope of what Solas requested, Fillo’s curriculum for his full 15 years, and offered $5,500 if Solas would narrow her request to the past five years. To justify its estimate for Fillo’s emails, it cited an opinion by a recurring Solas foe, state Attorney General Peter Neronha.

During Fillo’s unhinged remarks in a video shared on social media, he called Kirk a “piece of garbage” and stated, “I have about as much sympathy for Charlie Kirk right now as I do for all those farmers across the country who want socialist handouts from the government right now.”

“This is a man who hated the LGBTQ community, who hated women’s rights, who hated democracy.”

“Who thought that he was a big man cause he went to college campuses, debated young college students and thought he proved how tough he was with his words that he studied ahead of time.”

“What a piece of garbage. This is what happens,” he said before smugly adding, “Bye, Charlie!”

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Students from Rhode Island High School Attend School Board Meeting to Demand Teacher Who Went on Vile Rant Against Charlie Kirk Be Fired-” I do not feel comfortable or safe with our teachers supporting violence.

A group of outraged high school students from Rhode Island attended a school board meeting to demand action against a teacher after a vile rant that included calling Charlie Kirk a “piece of garbage.”

Benjamin Fillo, a teacher at Barrington High School, made the comments following the political assassination of Kirk while speaking to students in Utah.

During Fillo’s unhinged remarks in a video shared on social media he stated, “I have about as much sympathy for Charlie Kirk right now as I do for all those farmers across the country who want socialist handouts from the government right now.”

“This is a man who hated the LGBTQ community, who hated women’s rights, who hated democracy.”

“Who thought that he was a big man cause he went to college campuses, debated young college students and thought he proved how tough he was with his words that he studied ahead of time.”

“What a piece of garbage. This is what happens,” he said before smugly adding, “Bye, Charlie!”

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Rhode Island AG Aide Caught on Bodycam Threatening Cops During Arrest

Video recorded last Thursday night shows Rhode Island Special Assistant Attorney General Devon Flanagan being taken into custody by Newport police after an incident outside a restaurant.

Police arrested Flanagan for alleged trespassing following a call about an “unwanted party” at the Clarke Cooke House on Bannister’s Wharf, according to News Channel 9.

The footage shows officers engaging with Flanagan and another woman before escorting Flanagan into a police cruiser.

In the video, Flanagan is heard saying, “you’re going to regret this,” while resisting being placed in the vehicle.

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ICE Arrests Guatemalan Illegal Alien Released by RI Cops After Charged with Sex Crimes Against Children

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a Guatemalan Illegal Alien in Rhode Island one day after local police released him. The illegal alien “got away” was charged with paying to have sex with a minor and released on bond despite his status.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents arrested Josue Santiago Perez Gomez, 29, one day after a Rhode Island judge released the Guatemalan national on bond. Officials say Perez Gomez, who entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown time and place, was released on bond after being charged with patronizing a minor for commercial sex, indecent solicitation of a child, and procurement of sexual conduct for a fee. Agents re-arrested the alleged child predator on July 12.

This week, Fox News reporter Bill Melugin published a statement from ICE Boston Field Office Director Patricia Hyde regarding the incident. The director wrote:

Josue Santiago Perez-Gomez stands accused of some disgusting and disturbing crimes and represents a clear threat to the children of our Rhode Island communities. Releasing an alleged child sex offender the very day of his arrest begs the question, what is the point of arresting him at all? Luckily, the brave men and women of ICE were able to remove this criminal alien pedophile from our streets where local authorities allowed him to potentially reoffend.

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