Brown University Shooting Kills Two Students, Injures Nine; Massive Police Search Underway
A deadly shooting at Brown University in the US state of Rhode Island has left two students dead and nine others injured, prompting a large-scale manhunt involving hundreds of law enforcement officers.
Authorities said more than 400 police personnel were deployed on Saturday as they searched for a gunman who opened fire inside a university building while students were sitting for examinations. The Ivy League campus in Providence remained under lockdown for several hours, with a shelter-in-place order also extended to nearby residential areas.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said officials do not believe there is a specific ongoing threat to the public, but restrictions remain in place to allow investigators to conduct the initial phase of the probe safely.
Emergency vehicles flooded streets around the campus as local, state and federal agencies joined the operation. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting Providence police in the investigation.
Police released surveillance footage showing a male suspect, believed to be in his 30s, wearing dark clothing. Officials said it is unclear whether the individual was masked. The suspect has not yet been identified.
According to investigators, the gunman fled after opening fire inside a classroom at the Barus & Holley engineering building. Authorities said the building’s external doors were unlocked at the time due to ongoing exams. Police are examining why that specific location was targeted.
Shell casings were recovered from the scene, though officials said further details would be released later as the investigation progresses.
Brown University President Christina Paxson confirmed that most of the victims were students and described the incident as a devastating moment for the institution.
“This is the kind of day every university hopes never comes,” she said.
Medical officials reported that seven of the nine injured victims were in critical condition late Saturday.
Brown University is located on College Hill in Providence and includes hundreds of academic buildings, labs and student residences. Authorities believe the suspect escaped along a busy commercial street near the campus before police sealed off the area.