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Person of Interest in Brown University Shooting Released from Custody; Death Toll Climbs to 15 After Attack on Australia's Jewish Community; Police Say, Probe Rob and Michele Reiner Deaths as Apparent Homicides. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired December 15, 2025 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[10:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, the manhunt resumes after police release a person of interest in connection to the deadly mass shooting at Brown University. We are live on the campus.

And then later, a close call, a JetBlue pilot describes a near collision with the U.S. military plane over the Caribbean.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Also happening now, calling for tougher gun laws. Australia's prime Minister says it's on his cabinet's agenda after the deadly terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration.

And breaking overnight, the legendary Hollywood director, Rob Reiner, and his wife found dead in their Los Angeles home. Police are calling their deaths homicides.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer with Pamela Brown, and you're in The Situation Room.

And the breaking news overnight, the nationwide search begins from scratch for the suspect in Saturday's deadly attack at Brown University. Late last night, police in Providence, Rhode Island, released their so-called person of interest in the shooting that killed two students and left nine other people injured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER NERONHA, RHODE ISLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL: Certainly, there was some degree of evidence that pointed to this individual, but that evidence needed to be corroborated and confirmed. And over the last 24 hours leading into a just very, very recently, that evidence now points in a different direction. There's a ton of things that happened next.

And so I don't want to get into all those things because obviously we have a murderer out there, frankly. And so we're not going to give away the game plan. But the fact of the matter is that a law enforcement has the tools necessary to solve this case.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: CNN's John Berman is on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, for us. John, what are you learning this morning?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I got to say, Wolf, it's just a stunning turn of events here that's being felt by everyone in this tight-knit community. Students telling us that they had it away, let their guard down yesterday when they thought there was a person in custody, and now this morning looking over their shoulders, once again.

We just came across a group of students in their rolling bags who are leaving, getting out of town today. Classes, of course, have been canceled, final exams canceled, people getting out really as quickly as they can.

All that authorities have to go on that we know at this point is this brief clip of video. They released it Saturday night. It was right here of the person they still believe was connected to the shooting, walking on Hope Street here, just ten seconds of video but not identifiable. You can see right there, and they don't seem to have much more at this point.

But, again, the news they announced overnight after a full day of believing they had a person of interest in custody and were headed in a direction that might tie up this investigation. Now, it really goes back to the very beginning, everyone here on campus with so many questions, even as it does begin to empty out.

I want to get right to Brian Todd, who's been covering this investigation, all the twists and turns from the very beginning. We were together all day yesterday. Both of us went to sleep only to wake up to find out the stunning news that the person they had in custody, they were letting go. Why don't you walk us through where we are and what happened.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, where we are, John, from every indication is that they're back to square one. But they are giving some conflicting signals here. They're saying that basically the person of interest, of course, is being released, but the mayor, Brett Smiley, said, we have no way of knowing whether the alleged gunman, the real alleged gunman is in the city or even in the state, and yet they're also saying that we don't believe there's any added threat to the public, and we don't believe there's a necessity to have a lockdown or a shelter in place. Those are a little bit conflicting, so that is leading to some unsettling feelings. As you know, you've been talking to people here, so that's one thing.

In addition, the attorney general of Rhode Island, Peter Neronha, said that he was confident that they would solve this case very soon, and yet they're also saying that the only piece of video evidence that really is reliable so far is that ten-second clip of the guy walking around the corner that you just showed.

Here is the police chief, Oscar Perez, from the news conference late last night talking about all of these terms of events, the release of the person of interest, and why they do not believe that was necessarily a mistake to put him in custody.

[10:05:08]

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF OSCAR PEREZ, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND POLICE: This was a very complex investigation and it still is. So, in a sense, we followed on a lead and we followed on this specific lead. But we're able to examine every single evidence that led us to this individual. And at that point, that's how investigations work. Investigations will tell us whether something is valid or not, whether something needs to be ruled out is not a mistake. It's just how investigations work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: So, that's where they're saying late last night there is no news conference that we know of coming today, but we could, that could change. We're asking for some more information from officials this morning.

What is also extraordinary, John, is that the mayor, Brett Smiley, late last night, said that piece of video evidence is what we have. They're basically indicating that any video that might have been inside the building at the time is not useful to them. They've reviewed all of it. They said it's not useful. The attorney general, Peter Neronha, was kind of pressed on that, why don't you have more video? And he said, look, it's an old building. There weren't many cameras in there. Quite frankly, it's an old building attached to a new building. And so there was some frustration there.

They are looking for the public's help. They're asking anyone around this area, if you've got door -- you know, Ring video, any video of anything, please give it to us. They seem to be really in a bit of a straight here and they need the public's help.

BERMAN: Just in terms of what we've seen, we've been walking around here over the last few hours, Brian, and I just saw some students with rolling bags getting ready to leave, we did see a police car going by with the sirens on just a few seconds ago, but I haven't seen a huge police presence here.

TODD: But they said there was going to be an enhanced police presence. And yet we haven't seen much. So, that, again, they are under some pressure here to reassure the public a little bit more maybe. They did say what we can say is that the mayor a short time ago on another network said they still believe that it is one lone gunman that they're looking for here.

BERMAN: All right. Brian Todd, I'll let you get back to working your sources, working the scene. Thanks so much for bringing us up to speed.

You've been talking about the mayor, I should say, we are now joined by the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, Brett Smiley. Listen, Mr. Mayor, thank you so much for being with us. I know how busy you must be. Can you give us the very latest on the investigation you briefed last night, anything new this morning?

MAYOR BRETT SMILEY (D-PROVIDENCE, RI): We don't have anything new to share this morning other than to say that the investigation is fully underway. And I want to be clear that while we certainly were focused on processing evidence for the person of interest who was detained, that didn't mean that the other pieces of the investigation were stopped or in any way paused. We have been continuing this investigation since the very beginning now, not even 48 hours.

And so we're running down tips that have come in leads that have been developed, re-canvassing the immediate area for additional video evidence. But the investigation is fully underway with a lot of resources that have been offered and that we're taking advantage of from our partners, both locally and federally.

BERMAN: What other evidence has come to light? Because all that's been released is that one brief clip of video from Hope Street where I'm standing right now of a person who did seem unidentifiable.

SMILEY: Yes. And to maybe help clear up some confusion, because I listened to the clip earlier from our attorney general, the video that we released is the clearest picture we have of the individual we believe to be responsible. But that doesn't mean that there isn't other evidence. We're talking about trying to get a clear shot of an individual with identifiable features that can help advance the investigation. But there was still a lot of evidence collected at the crime scene and throughout the investigation over the last nearly two days.

BERMAN: What information, if any, do you have about how far away this suspect might be at this point?

SMILEY: At this point, that's all subject to the investigation and there's no additional details that I can share, although, as I shared last night, we don't believe that there is an eminent threat to public safety here in the city of Providence. And there is in fact an enhanced police presence throughout the city. I know there's a lot of focus on the campus right now but, you know, our responsibility and concern is not just Brown University's campus, but the entire city of Providence and the State of Rhode Island. The Rhode Island State Police have been very helpful as well.

And so there's enhanced law enforcement throughout the city both looking for evidence but also trying to reassure our residents that they are safe in their hometown.

[10:10:01]

BERMAN: Yes. How -- explain this notion that appears to be in conflict. There's a killer on the loose and a manhunt underway. So, how can that be the case when you say there is -- why are you confident there is no threat to public safety?

SMILEY: The call came in for the shooting at 4:05 P.M. on Saturday. It's Monday morning, 10:00 A.M. Eastern, and there has not been a single credible or specific threat that we've received since that time. And so there have been several, and I think some of them have been reported, false calls, all of which are taken seriously and thoroughly examined. None of them have been credible or serious. And so just because of those facts, that's why we believe it is safe and appropriate for residents in Providence to be sending their kids to school today and to be out in the community. There has been no follow- up threat. There's been no additional either threat or act of violence that has occurred since the horrific incident a day and a half ago.

BERMAN: How would you describe the current working relationship between federal law enforcement and state and local, because there are those who have watched the various news conferences and spoken to people and detect maybe some friction or frustration?

SMILEY: We're working well together. You know, the boots on the ground here are all professionals. They have a preexisting and longstanding relationship. And everyone is focused on the task at hand and doing their job. The level of cooperation has been very strong. And everyone's, of course, they're getting tired. There hasn't been a lot of sleep in the last two days.

Obviously, we're disappointed that the person of interest who had been detained needed to be released because of the evidence that had been examined. And it's a setback, to be clear, and those frustrations I'm sure are being felt by more than just me. But that doesn't mean that we're not working well together.

And I continue to have tremendous confidence in my police department. In our partners and including in our federal partners everyone knows that there's only one job that matters right now for law enforcement, and that's to bring the responsible party to justice. And they're all working towards that task.

BERMAN: I mean, how much of a setback was it, do you think, to have that, you know, 20-hour stretch of so much focus on that one person?

SMILEY: The setback is not necessarily in terms of the investigation. As I said, the investigation was continuing, and we did not devote all of our focus to that. We certainly wanted to explore it because we had credible information that was worthy of full examination. But other aspects of the investigation remained at full speed while that lead was being explored.

I think the setback is really about the morale and the mentality here at Providence. Obviously, students on campus, but also, and equally important the residents in my city, I think we all got our hopes up that maybe this was the person. And so there's more of an emotional setback that has occurred as we've had to refocus to realize that we still have, you know, hopefully hours but maybe days or more ahead.

And that's what I'm focused on trying to provide some reassurance to my community. I spent the morning, it's a Monday morning. We have school today. I spent all morning. It's really cold here in Providence today. But I was out greeting families and kids on their way to school this morning to help bolster their confidence that they're doing the right thing by being in class today.

And that's really the setback that I'm focused on and I think has been most impactful, was sort of the emotional letdown to know that we've still got a lot of work to do, and that, as is often the case, these investigations take a little bit of time and that, you know, the 24 hours where we thought we had a person of interest that might lead to something more concrete. It turns out that we've got a lot more work to do.

BERMAN: Listen, Mayor Brett Smiley, I do appreciate you being with us. Obviously, so much work to be done, nice of you to give us a sense of where things stand at this point. Hopefully, we'll hear from you again, not too long from now. Thank you.

SMILEY: You know, we'll continue to provide regular updates to the community so that they know what's going on.

BERMAN: Terrific. We look forward to that.

[10:15:00]

Thank you very much, wishing you the best of luck.

Wolf, Pamela, I got to say, hearing from the mayor there, I think you can sense that people feel differently today. Certainly, they did yesterday that there is a little bit of morale issue there, but also a little bit of tidbit of news. I mean, we do see that one piece of video they've made to the public, but he did indicate they are processing other evidence as well maybe that they have not yet released.

BLITZER: It looks like they have a long way to go over there in Providence. John Berman, excellent reporting, thank you very, very much.

We're also of course continuing to follow the breaking news out of Australia, scores of people paying their respects today after 15 people were killed and dozens injured in Australia's worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years.

BROWN: Australians also lined up today at a blood donation center in Sydney as hospitals continue to treat survivors. Police say a father and son opened fire on families at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach right near Sydney. Australia's prime minister called the anti- Semitic attack, quote, an act a pure evil. We'll have much more on this story later in the hour.

BLITZER: And we're also following the truly shocking news out of Los Angeles this morning. The legendary Hollywood director, Rob Reiner, and his wife found dead in their home. Police are investigating it as a homicide.

BROWN: And two U.S. soldiers and an American interpreter killed in Syria. The U.S. is now vowing to retaliate.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:20:00]

BROWN: Breaking news, a family spokesperson confirms that legendary actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife, film producer Michele Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home yesterday. Authorities are calling their deaths apparent homicides.

Rob Reiner's breakthrough role in Hollywood came in the 1970s when he played Archie Bunker's son-in-law on All in the Family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, with or without protesters, this country will still have the same problems.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What problems?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's the war, the racial problem, the economic problem, the pollution problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, come on. You are a nitwit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: CNN's Stephanie Elam is in Los Angeles for us. Stephanie, what is the latest on the investigation?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we do know that this horrible murder, this double homicide, happened in the late afternoon, at least that's when we were alerted of it, late afternoon yesterday. Since then, the investigation continued on into the overnight hours. And just in the last hour or so, we watched police really move the tape and the opening up the street again. We saw the police officers that were here leave from the area as well.

The last time we heard from the police department during a press conference, they were saying that they had several more steps to get through before they could go ahead and name a person who could have potentially been behind this double homicide. Take a listen to what the Los Angeles Police Department said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: Chief, why are you not exactly looking for a suspect? Are you confident you know who did this?

DEPUTY CHIEF ALAN HAMILTON, LOS ANGELES POLICE: We have not identified a suspect at this time.

REPORTER: Well, then shouldn't you be looking for one so these neighbors aren't worried about their own lives and their own safety?

HAMILTON: Yes. So, at this time, after we determine -- so I need everyone to understand something. In order to comply with the legal process, before we do anything here, we have to get a search warrant because there are issues regarding standing at this residence. So, as long as those legal requirements are met, we can continue the investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: And, obviously, those are the two main questions, who did this and what was the motive for that, something that we're looking to get more information on today.

The family did put out a statement, and I'm going to read it to you right now. It says, it is with profound sorrow that we announced the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by the sudden loss and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.

And there are so many people inside Los Angeles, in Hollywood, that are feeling this loss. They are completely shaken and devastated by the loss of the Reiners.

You can't underestimate just how much they contributed to entertainment. I mean, so many movies are still quoted to this day that were products of Rob Reiner's brain that we still quote today from, from, you know, Princess Bride all the way to A Few Good Men. His footstep here, his footprint here, is beyond massive. Wolf and Pamela?

BLITZER: Yes, such a great actor, such a great director. We will miss him big time.

Stephanie Elam, thank you very, very much.

And we'll have much more ahead on all of the breaking news this morning, and there's lots, a man underway for the person in this video believed to be responsible for the deadly shooting at Brown University. We'll ask the Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed where things stand.

We have a lot more coming up right here in The Situation Room.

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[10:25:00]

BROWN: We are following the breaking news from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The manhunt for a suspect in this weekend's deadly shooting is back on after a person of interest was released late last night. Two students were killed and nine others were injured in Saturday's attack.

BLITZER: CNN's John Berman is on the scene for us in Providence. John, I know you spoke with several students this morning after another brief scare last night. What's the latest?

BERMAN: It's just such a radically different atmosphere this morning, Wolf and Pam, than it was yesterday on campus. You know, they're going through mourning and grieving and the unsettling reality of being in a post shooting environment here. But at least yesterday, they felt like the investigation was coming to a close with a person authorities had called the person of interest in custody, that person has been released. The investigation seems to be back to square one.

And this morning, these students that I talked to you can really sense how nervous they now are. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was scary because everyone just kind of ran back to their dorms, locked themselves in their rooms.

[10:30:03]

We could hear helicopters, overhead, cop's cars going by on the streets pretty fast.