Ben Erickson 

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A 24-year-old former U.S. Army infantry soldier from Wisconsin was detained early Sunday, Dec. 14, in the mass shooting on campus, according to multiple news reports.

Benjamin Erickson, a Wisconsin native, was detained at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, early Sunday, Dec. 14, following the shooting at an engineering and physics building on the Providence campus, NBC News and The Washington Post reported.

Ella Cook, a Brown University sophomore from Alabama, was identified as one of the victims killed. She was identified during a live-streamed Mass by her hometown church, Cathedral Church of the Advent.

Erickson's LinkedIn profile shows he's a Milwaukee, Wisconsin native and former U.S. Army infantry soldier who served from May 2021 to November 2024. His service included roles as an Honor Guard rifleman and Caisson Platoon soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, where he assisted with military funeral ceremonies and participated in ceremonial and security duties, including assignments near the president, his page reads.

The profile states Erickson passed sniper training, worked in firearms instruction, held a secret security clearance, and earned both the Army Achievement Medal and Good Conduct Medal. It also indicates he planned to attend Brown University in the fall of 2025 after completing coursework at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and that he participated in construction and volunteer work through Habitat for Humanity and other nonprofit organizations.

Following the shooting, the FBI said it established a command post at Brown, deployed specialized teams to analyze leads and reconstruct the scene, and launched a digital portal for the public to submit images and video related to the incident.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.