It’s a horror show. That’s all I can think of right now. Every time the authorities get in front of the cameras to give an update on the Brown University shooting, it becomes another episode of Keystone Cops. This heinous crime is tragic—two people were killed. It’s also become a textbook case in how not to address the media or handle a crisis.
And no, you don’t need years of experience to know that when you have zero answers, maybe you shouldn’t hold a press conference.
“I don’t know” isn’t the phrase anyone wants to hear, and yet that’s what Brown University president Christian Paxson said when asked a basic question about what was happening inside the building where the school’s engineering classes are held. That was six hours after the attack. Then, a suspect was in custody, but that was corrected, only to be followed by the arrest of a person of interest who was later released. There’s no usable camera footage of the suspect.
Police also have no idea how the shooter entered the building. The FBI released enhanced images of the suspect with a $50,000 reward. The suspect remains at large. The police are going door-to-door looking for any video evidence from cameras in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Is this a manhunt? No, we don’t have a suspect who's armed and dangerous, which is another aspect that also wasn’t addressed well. It’s a total breakdown of communication. It’s an investigation that’s rudderless. At least for now, plus the public flaying of someone who is no longer a suspect, that individual had his life turned upside down, with social media running wild that a leftist committed this shooting. Given today’s litigious environment, expect a lawsuit. Frankly, why was this person picked up if the case to hold him, whatever that was, melted in less than 24 hours? Well, apparently that was the FBI's fault.
No suspect. No arrest. No leads. No clue how he got inside the building. What about motive?
Well, witnesses heard the shooter yell “Allahu Akbar,” though Brown and local police are rather cagey about that angle of the story, refusing to comment on it. Hey, Democrats and media, the conspiracy theories you rail about; this is how they get spawned. And now, after the person of interest was released, there are reports of local law enforcement throwing the FBI under the bus.
What a mess. Even more of a reason not to go in front of the cameras, right?
I’ll tell you this, the shooter has had quite the head start, and he’s likely out of the area.
CNN on Brown shooting: “I had never seen a local jurisdiction essentially throw the FBI under the bus, not just saying we’re in charge, but saying ‘look that lead that led us to the person of interest — who ended up not being the person of interest, essentially was run by the… pic.twitter.com/okmt93bSrb
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) December 15, 2025