President Donald Trump sharply criticized Brown University’s campus security camera coverage on social media as authorities continue searching for a gunman who killed two students and wounded nine others in Providence, Rhode Island. According to ABC News, Trump asked why the university had “so few Security Cameras” in the area of the attack.
“Why did Brown University have so few Security Cameras? There can be no excuse for that. In the modern age, it just doesn’t get worse!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday, as the search for the shooter extended into its fifth day.
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An official from Brown University just said that there are over 1200 cameras all over the campus.
Yesterday, the Rhode Island AG said that there were no cameras where the shooting happened, because it was an old part of the building. pic.twitter.com/wfXiF90vXg
— Scott (@RandomHeroWX) December 17, 2025
Trump’s comments came as Providence police and the FBI pressed local communities for any footage that might help identify the individual suspected in the December 13 attack at Brown University’s Barus and Holley engineering building, where surveillance footage so far has not captured the gunman inside the targeted classroom.
At a Tuesday news conference, Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said the only released video of the person of interest came from cameras outside the building, not inside where the shooting occurred.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said the shooting happened in an older section of the engineering building — a part with “fewer, if any, cameras” — and that footage from newer parts of the complex mostly shows the chaos after the shooting, not the gunman’s movements.
BREAKING: After the FBI claimed credit for catching the wrong person, trump suddenly shifts blame for the Brown University shooting to the school, saying “this was a school problem. They had their own guards…”
Zero accountability, as always.pic.twitter.com/5dwOGoLa5d
— Really American 🇺🇸 (@ReallyAmerican1) December 15, 2025
Brown University President Christina Paxson has noted that the university maintains about 1,200 security cameras across its campus, contradicting the notion that there is a lack of cameras generally.
Brian Clark, a Brown University spokesperson, explained that cameras are placed in high-traffic areas like streets and walkways, and that while the university has “an expansive network of security cameras,” they “do not extend to every hallway, classroom, laboratory and office across the 250+ buildings on campus.”
He also said, per The Hill, “For security reasons, it is not prudent to share where cameras are and are not relative to individual buildings and locations.”
President Trump on the Brown University shooting: “Looks like people were very badly hurt. It’s a shame. It’s a shame. Just pray. All we can do is just pray for the victims.”
No, Mr. President — that’s not all we can do. You’ve signed a lot of executive orders. Maybe—just… pic.twitter.com/xb91yYbsHY
— Carolyn Barber, MD (@cbarbermd) December 14, 2025
Clark explained that the nature of a college campus, with many open and accessible spaces — is different from corporate buildings or gated facilities, and that during the daytime most areas remain open without guards or gates.
But, according to Reuters, despite the extensive camera network, officials and law enforcement have publicly acknowledged there is no clear interior footage of the shooter from the scene of the shooting.
Investigators have released partial surveillance clips showing a person of interest near campus around the time of the attack, but those videos do not clearly identify the shooter because their face was covered. Authorities have asked Providence residents and businesses to review doorbell and private cameras in nearby neighborhoods for any footage that could assist the investigation, as the official campus system has not provided usable interior video of the suspect.
The lack of clear images from Brown’s cameras has intensified scrutiny of the university’s security protocols amid the ongoing manhunt and public concern. And while the footage may not be as clear as what the investigating authorities want it to be, it seems as if there is no shortage of cameras on the campus.
