adminTwo students were murdered and nine more wounded in a brazen mass shooting at Brown University that has left Providence reeling and a campus community in mourning. Law enforcement has released surveillance footage and appealed to the public for tips as the manhunt continues, but officials still have not identified a suspect and the motive remains under investigation. Americans deserve the facts straightaway, not the drip of evasions we’ve been fed so far.
What should have been a clear, decisive update turned into chaos when authorities prematurely suggested a person was in custody and then had to walk that back, releasing and clearing an individual after days of confusing statements. That kind of bungling crushes confidence in investigators at the worst possible moment and gives cover to rumor and panic. If law enforcement can’t get basic messaging right during a manhunt, citizens have every right to demand better.
Online sleuths seized on a swirl of social media claims that Brown quietly removed a student profile — Mustapha Kharbouch — sparking viral speculation about whether the university was hiding a person of interest. That narrative was amplified precisely because Brown and city officials have been so cautious with details, allowing rumor to rush in where transparency should have reigned. At the same time, Brown’s own Center for Middle East Studies still lists Kharbouch as a student assistant, which makes the allegation of a clandestine deletion look even more suspicious.
We should be crystal clear: there is no public evidence that any student has been formally accused or charged, and reckless finger-pointing on social platforms risks ruining innocent lives. That reality doesn’t absolve Brown University of responsibility for how it manages information and how its campus culture may encourage ideological echo chambers. Kharbouch’s campus profiles show activism around Palestinian issues and human rights—exactly the kinds of politicized identities that fuel campus factionalism and make timely, clear communication all the more essential.
Universities that cultivate activist identities and then retreat into silence when tragedy strikes should not be allowed to hide behind grief as a shield for incompetence or narrative control. Providence police and federal partners have released enhanced images and videos in hopes of identification while offering few answers about how a shooter allegedly moved around campus undetected. The American public and the grieving families deserve candid, unvarnished updates — not spin, not excuses, and not the performative compassion that too often substitutes for real accountability.
Hardworking Americans expect institutions to protect students and tell the truth when they fail. If Brown, the city, or federal investigators have information, release it; if they don’t, admit that and explain what steps are being taken to restore safety. Conservatives stand with the victims, demand justice, and will not let bureaucratic blunders or ideological blind spots obscure the fundamental duty of any campus or government official: keep people safe and speak plainly to the public.
