The person of interest in custody in connection with the Brown University shooting, identified by law enforcement sources as Benjamin Erickson, is a decorated soldier who served a position at Arlington National Cemetery, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Erickson, 24, of Wisconsin, served as an infantry soldier in the U.S. Army, where he underwent sniper training, experienced firearms instruction and served as a rifleman between 2021 and 2024, according to the profile.
Erickson also received a good conduct medal, participated in “security duties” near the president and assisted with funeral ceremonies in Arlington, the profile said.
The LinkedIn page stated that he plans to continue his college education at Brown University in the 2025 semester.
A U.S. Army spokesman said Erickson had no deployments and left last year with the rank of specialist. Brown University did not immediately respond to questions about Erickson’s record.
Officials said the person of interest was not a current student at Brown, but law enforcement sources indicated to CNN that he may have just enrolled.
Emergency personnel gather at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, as they investigate a shooting Saturday that left two students dead and nine others injured. — Mark Stockwell/AP
Erickson took online classes with a concentration in psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after graduating from high school in July 2020, and then transferred to Brown for this fall semester after his military service ended, according to the profile, which noted a variety of interests including animal welfare, veterans support and helping the poor.
The profile further noted that he worked as a carpenter and helped out at a horse rescue center.
A staff member at the rescue, Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue in Maryland, told CNN that Erickson was part of an Army unit that learned horse handling techniques at the rescue center between 2023 and 2024. Erickson was training with the caisson detachment of the US Army’s 3d US Infantry Regiment.
The high school yearbook included a photo of Erickson on his school’s wrestling team. A profile on X that appeared to be of Erickson was posted in 2016 and 2017 about wrestling, music and political satire.
One of Erickson’s former high school classmates, Bryce Jankowski, said he recently exchanged texts with Erickson, who said he was studying at Brown.
“He said he was doing great,” Jankowski said. “He said he was staying in a hotel because his apartment was flooded,” though he said he wasn’t worried.
Jankowski described Erickson as a well-mannered, smart person. He did not recall Erickson making any statements that harbored extremist views or posed practical challenges. “He was wicked smart.”
After high school, he said Erickson told him he was in sniper school with the U.S. Army.
A former high school wrestling teammate, who asked not to be named, called Erickson “a very nice guy, he was quiet … he’s really outgoing when you get to know him, but when you don’t he’s very quiet.”
On Sunday afternoon, CNN observed the FBI at a Wisconsin home owned by Erickson’s family.
A search of court databases showed no apparent criminal history for Erickson other than a 2023 case in which he was cited for driving on a sidewalk, a charge that was dismissed.
CNN’s Bill Kirkos, Thomas Bordeaux and Jeff Winter contributed to this report.
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