Ex-FBI officials blast 'circus-like' Brown University shooting briefings

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Ex-FBI officials blast 'circus-like' Brown University shooting briefings

Agents critical of public messaging, early 'mistakes' after deadly attack in Providence

Max Bacall Fox News

Published

December 18, 2025 11:45am EST

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'CIRCUS-LIKE ENVIRONMENT': Former FBI special agent ridicules 'complete incompetency' in Brown University investigation

Retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent James Gagliano and former FBI Special Agent Stuart Kaplan unpack their frustrations about the ongoing manhunt for the Brown University shooter on 'The Ingraham Angle.'

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Former FBI agents criticized the Brown University shooting investigation Wednesday, accusing officials of mishandling critical early steps and turning briefings into a "circus-like environment" devoid of actionable updates on the search for the suspect.

"There are 800 security cameras on that campus. I can't understand why we don't have better video of this," retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent James Gagliano said on "The Ingraham Angle." "And I don't understand... why we're holding press conferences not to put out any actionable information."

As the manhunt for the perpetrator of the deadly mass shooting entered its sixth day, law enforcement and university officials had little to tell the public about leads or potential motives in the shooting that left two students dead.

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Law enforcement officers at work on Brown University campus following shooting

Law enforcement officers work inside the Barus & Holley engineering building as it remains closed while the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Dec. 17. (Reuters/Taylor Coester)

Gagliano expressed confidence that the shooter would be caught, but said the poor messaging surrounding the investigation "defies credulity." He also questioned why the shooting was not being treated as a potential terror attack, noting such a designation would put the FBI in charge and "provide one clear lead."

Former FBI Special Agent Stuart Kaplan suggested the investigation may have been mishandled from the start following a "reprehensible" decision that "rises to the level of complete incompetency."

"There should be no haste… we may have been in a better position had we not given the all-clear in the stand-down on Sunday where the students were basically released to go back home for the holidays," he added on "The Ingraham Angle."

"When you make mistakes early on, that has a cascading impact."

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Providence, RI - December 13: Brown University President Christina H. Paxson speaks during a press conference after a mass shooting prompted a lockdown on campus. (Getty)

Kaplan accused politicians of "hijacking" Providence police updates.

"What is odd is when you have a police chief that is flanked by politicians from day one, when you go back to the first press conference and you see the political leaders basically hijacking a press conference," Kaplan said, calling the scene "a circus-like environment."

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Gagliano agreed, saying the parade of Providence and Brown leaders speaking without offering meaningful updates was "not advancing the ball."

"Two things are going to make this case," Gagliano concluded. "Forensics and crowdsourcing."

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Ex-FBI officials blast 'circus-like' Brown University shooting briefings