At 4:22 p.m. on what should have been an ordinary December afternoon, gunfire erupted inside the engineering building at Providence College.

Students preparing for final exams found themselves barricaded in classrooms as text alerts warned, “Hide. Stay where you are. Silence your phone.”

This week on "Zone 7," Sheryl McCollum and retired FBI Special Agent Scott Duffey revisit the Providence College shooting, where a day of finals spiraled into chaos and tragedy. Together, they discuss the confusion inside the building, the calm suspect caught on camera, and the observant witness whose attention to detail helped identify him.

Sheryl and Scott examine what went right, what went wrong, and how information, instinct, and timing shaped the investigation.

Guest Bio

Scott Duffey is a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent with more than two decades of service in the Bureau’s Baltimore Division, including assignments with the Wilmington Resident Agency and the Delaware Violent Crimes Task Force.

He now directs the Criminal Justice Institute at Wilmington University, where he teaches interview and interrogation techniques to law enforcement professionals. Duffey also provides on-air crime analysis for FOX, CNN, NewsNation, and the Wildlife CSI Academy, continuing to educate, inform, and engage audiences worldwide.

About the Host

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a Metro Atlanta Police Department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide.

With more than 4 decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing. Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for "CSI: Atlanta," and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

• Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com

• Twitter: @149zone7

• Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

• Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

Preorder Sheryl’s upcoming book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Lessons in Life,Justice, and Joy from a Forensic Scientist, releasing May 2026 from Simon and Schuster.

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Swans-Dont-Swim-in-a-Sewer/Sheryl-Mac-McCollum/9798895652824

Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.

Highlights:

• (0:00) Welcome to Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum and returning guest Scott Duffey to discuss the Providence College shooting and the law-enforcement response that followed

• (5:45) The moment violence reached Providence College: students taking finals as shots rang out

• (12:30) “Nobody was prepared to take this person on”: why Providence College was a soft target

• (15:30) Behavioral clues and why the suspect didn’t fit the usual active-shooter profile

• (18:30) How video surveillance, community vigilance, and digital evidence guided the search

• (21:15) Law enforcement press conferences and why clear, real-time communication with the public is critical

• (25:00) The second engineer’s murder: coincidence or connection?

• (28:30) Theorizing motive and method• (31:00) The suspect’s calm demeanor and cultural clues that caught investigators’ attention

• (34:45) Terrorism concerns, global context, and seasonal timing during the holidays

• (39:00) Update: the shooter found deceased; press conference missteps and misinformation

• (43:15) The breakthrough witness whose attention to detail broke open the case

• (48:30) Closing thoughts on the investigation, the likelihood of a manifesto, and why violent offenders rarely act in silence



 

At 4:22 p.m. on what should have been an ordinary December afternoon, gunfire erupted inside&nbsp;the engineering building at Providence College.
Students preparing for final exams found&nbsp;themselves barricaded in classrooms as text alerts warned, &ldquo;Hide. Stay where you are. Silence&nbsp;your phone.&rdquo;
This week on "Zone 7," Sheryl McCollum and retired FBI Special Agent Scott Duffey revisit the Providence College shooting, where a day of finals spiraled into chaos and tragedy. Together, they discuss the confusion inside the building, the calm suspect caught on camera, and the observant witness whose attention to detail helped identify him.
Sheryl and Scott examine what went right, what went wrong, and how information, instinct, and timing shaped the investigation.
Guest Bio
Scott Duffey is a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent with more than two decades of service&nbsp;in the Bureau&rsquo;s Baltimore Division, including assignments with the Wilmington Resident Agency&nbsp;and the Delaware Violent Crimes Task Force.
He now directs the Criminal Justice Institute at&nbsp;Wilmington University, where he teaches interview and interrogation techniques to law&nbsp;enforcement professionals. Duffey also provides on-air crime analysis for FOX, CNN,&nbsp;NewsNation, and the Wildlife CSI Academy, continuing to educate, inform, and engage&nbsp;audiences worldwide.
About the Host
Sheryl &ldquo;Mac&rdquo; McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a Metro Atlanta Police&nbsp;Department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners&nbsp;with colleges and universities nationwide.
With more than 4 decades of experience, she has&nbsp;worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing. Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore&rsquo;s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for "CSI: Atlanta," and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.
Social Links:
&bull; Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com
&bull; Twitter: @149zone7
&bull; Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum
&bull; Instagram: @officialzone7podcast
Preorder Sheryl&rsquo;s upcoming book, Swans Don&rsquo;t Swim in a Sewer: Lessons in Life,Justice, and Joy from a Forensic Scientist, releasing May 2026 from Simon and Schuster.
<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Swans-Dont-Swim-in-a-Sewer/Sheryl-Mac-McCollum/9798895652824">https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Swans-Dont-Swim-in-a-Sewer/Sheryl-Mac-</a><a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Swans-Dont-Swim-in-a-Sewer/Sheryl-Mac-McCollum/9798895652824">McCollum/9798895652824</a>
Enjoying Zone 7? Leave a rating and review where you listen to podcasts. Your feedback helps others find the show and supports the mission to educate, engage, and inspire.
Highlights:
&bull; (0:00) Welcome to Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum and returning guest Scott Duffey to&nbsp;discuss the Providence College shooting and the law-enforcement response that&nbsp;followed
&bull; (5:45) The moment violence reached Providence College: students taking finals as shots&nbsp;rang out
&bull; (12:30) &ldquo;Nobody was prepared to take this person on&rdquo;: why Providence College was a&nbsp;soft target
&bull; (15:30) Behavioral clues and why the suspect didn&rsquo;t fit the usual active-shooter profile
&bull; (18:30) How video surveillance, community vigilance, and digital evidence guided the&nbsp;search
&bull; (21:15) Law enforcement press conferences and why clear, real-time communication&nbsp;with the public is critical
&bull; (25:00) The second engineer&rsquo;s murder: coincidence or connection?
&bull; (28:30) Theorizing motive and method&bull; (31:00) The suspect&rsquo;s calm demeanor and cultural clues that caught investigators&rsquo;&nbsp;attention
&bull; (34:45) Terrorism concerns, global context, and seasonal timing during the holidays
&bull; (39:00) Update: the shooter found deceased; press conference missteps and&nbsp;misinformation
&bull; (43:15) The breakthrough witness whose attention to detail broke open the case
&bull; (48:30) Closing thoughts on the investigation, the likelihood of a manifesto, and why&nbsp;violent offenders rarely act in silence 
&nbsp;

Work a cold case alongside investigator Sheryl “Mac” McCollum, Director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute. Every week, Sheryl dives into her cold case files alongside accomplished guests to look for clues into unsolved murders, missing people, and more. This ain’t just a podcast but a war room. Sheryl opens her cold case files, her heart and her little black book! You will quickly realize Zone 7 is not a place but a lifestyle!

Work a cold case alongside investigator Sheryl “Mac” McCollum, Director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute. Every week, Sheryl dives into her cold case files alongside accomplished guests to look for clues into unsolved murders, missing people, and more. This ain’t just a podcast but a war room. Sheryl opens her cold case files, her heart and her little black book! You will quickly realize Zone 7 is not a place but a lifestyle!

Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum

Winter Break Turned Tragic: The Day Violence Struck Brown University

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3bdd01c5-97b6-4943-a594-b3bb0004feeb/transcript

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