The serene atmosphere of Brown University’s campus was shattered on a recent Saturday when a shooting occurred within an engineering building located at the eastern perimeter of the prestigious Ivy League institution. Nestled within a neighborhood that merges seamlessly into residential Providence, Rhode Island, the university was the unexpected scene of a violent act.

Before the incident, security footage revealed a potential suspect who may have been surveying the area. This individual was seen in a quiet, affluent section of College Hill, close to where the lively thoroughfares intersect the urban sprawl of the campus.

Authorities, including local police and the FBI, have shared a timeline of key video evidence to piece together the events leading up to the shooting:

From 2 p.m. to 2:08 p.m., the footage captures a person of interest dressed in dark attire and a mask. This individual casually strolls along Manning Street before turning onto Cooke Street and later onto George Street. These routes are lined with grand mansions that date back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. For nearly an hour, the suspect remains just a block away from the bustling Hope Street, marking an unofficial boundary of Brown’s campus and one of Providence’s notable streets.

Between 2:08 and 2:13 p.m., the same individual is observed walking along Benevolent Street. They pause briefly, turning around in front of the Aldrich House, which serves as the headquarters for the Rhode Island Historical Society. Cameras near the main entrance and side door of this historic society captured the suspect’s movements. Although a spokesperson for the society refrained from discussing details, they confirmed full cooperation with the ongoing investigation. The suspect is later seen near the side entrance of the Aldrich House, moving behind its gated lawn and a line of trees on George Street.

2:16 to 2:18 p.m.: More unusual activity happens around the Aldrich House. Notes on a video shared by the FBI on social media and later deleted say the person “abruptly turns west down George. Second individual follows.” That second person can be seen on Cooke Street, carrying a small light-colored bag. Shortly after turning the corner, if the footage is accurate, the second person appears to run in the same direction the person of interest ran moments earlier. Police on Wednesday shared new images of people with light-colored bags they want to speak with because of their proximity to the person of interest. The main subject of the investigation later makes a short appearance on Hope Street, walking on a sidewalk alongside the Brown campus.

2:20 p.m.: In another video taken from the historical society building, the person is shown running east on Benevolent Street, away from the campus toward Cooke Street. The running clip is followed by a 30-minute gap, at least in footage publicly disclosed.

2:51-2:53 p.m.: Video shows the person on George, Cooke and Manning streets again, covering the same ground walked earlier. Doorbell camera footage then shows the person walking west on Manning Street toward the university campus with a satchel visible over their shoulder.

2:53 p.m.: Car camera footage taken from a Nissan Rogue shows the person turning north onto Hope Street from Manning Street and toward a parking lot near Brown’s Barus and Holley engineering building. It’s the last known sighting for more than an hour. Authorities have said that one reason they lacked video of the shooter was because Brown’s older engineering building doesn’t have many cameras.

4:03 p.m.: Gunfire erupts inside a classroom of the Barus and Holley building where many students had gathered for a study session to prepare for a final economics exam. Two students were killed and nine were wounded.

4:06 p.m.: Shortly after the shooting, the person appears to walk calmly back through the same Brown parking lot toward Hope Street. As the person of interest crosses Hope Street, a police car with emergency lights turns to park nearby. The officer exits the vehicle and quickly crosses toward the engineering building. The person of interest turns the corner onto Waterman Street and continues walking east along Waterman (not Hope Street, as the FBI stated) at a leisurely pace.

4:15 p.m.: The sun sets on Providence during a week with the year’s earliest sunsets, pitching the city into darkness just as an intensive search begins.

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Lau reported from Claymont, Delaware.