PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A massive manhunt is underway at Brown University in Rhode Island after a gunman killed at least two people and wounded nine others during final exams on the Ivy League campus on Saturday afternoon.
University President Christina Paxson confirmed that she was informed that ten people who were shot were students, including the two fatalities. An eleventh person was injured by shooting fragments, though their student status is unclear.
The Attack and Suspect Details
- Location: The attack erupted in a first-floor classroom within the engineering building (Barus and Holley) on the campus.
- Time: The first 911 call was received shortly after 4:00 pm local time.
- Suspect Description: The gunman is described as a man in dark clothing, possibly in his 30s, and was last seen leaving the engineering building. Some witnesses reported that he may have been wearing a camouflage mask.
- Weapon: Authorities believe the suspect used a handgun.
- Status: The suspect remains at large. Security footage of a person of interest wearing dark clothing and a hood or hat, walking away from the building, has been released by police, but the face is not visible.
Security and Response
- Hundreds of local and federal law enforcement officers, including the FBI, have descended on the campus and the surrounding affluent neighborhood, searching buildings, backyards, and porches late into the night.
- The city’s shelter-in-place order remains in effect for the Brown community and local residents, who are encouraged to stay indoors until the threat is cleared. Streets that are usually busy on weekends are “eerily quiet,” according to Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.
- Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee called the incident “unthinkable” and vowed that all resources are being deployed to catch the suspect.
- Providence’s mayor confirmed that the outer doors of the building were unlocked due to the ongoing final exams, though exam rooms themselves required badge access.
“The Brown community’s heart is breaking, and Providence’s heart is breaking along with it,” Mayor Smiley said.
