India, Dec. 15 -- On Sunday, a 24-year-old was identified as the person of interest in the shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island on Saturday. However, he was released within hours, police said.

Notably, he was identified by NBC News and the Washington Post, citing sources. No official word from law enforcement was issued identifying the person of interest, a Wisconsin resident.

However, internet sleuths dug up Benjamin Erickson, and while they are often right, in this instance it turned out to be a blunder. Many prominent news portals, including the Daily Mail, shared the LinkedIn profile of an individual named Benjamin Erickson, who was not the person of interest in the shooting, but merely shared the same name.

The...