Two people were killed and nine injured when a gunman opened fire at around 16:00 local time Saturday in a classroom at Brown University’s Barus and Holley engineering building. Brown University, an Ivy League institution with over 11,000 students, is located in Providence, Rhode Island’s capital, 50 miles from Boston and 180 miles from New York City.
Final exams were underway, including a review session led by a teaching assistant, according to economics professor Rachel Friedberg. The professor relayed that the shooter entered yelling before firing, as students scrambled for cover in stadium seating.
On Saturday, investigators said they were not immediately sure how the suspect got inside the first-floor classroom. Outer doors of the building were unlocked but rooms being used for final exams required badge access, Mayor of Providence Brett Smiley said.
Two students studying in a nearby library received the active gunman alert and stayed away from windows while awaiting police escort. Officers searched their floor, ordered bags dropped and hands raised before leading them out safely.
Person of interest released from custody
Officials detained a person of interest Sunday but released them, stating evidence pointed elsewhere.
Providence Police Chief Col Oscar Perez confirmed the detained individual did not match CCTV footage of the suspect in black clothing walking from the scene.
Police continue seeking additional video evidence amid the ongoing investigation.
Survivor relives second school shooting
Brown student Mia Tretta, survivor of the 2019 Saugus High School shooting, described shattered safety after the active shooter alert. Her generation has grown up practising active shooter drills in schools, and she is not the only student at Brown University who has now lived through their second school shooting. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley noted a victim’s account of high school drills aiding survival, calling such frequency tragic.
The 21-year-old, shot in the stomach with bullet fragments remaining, called gun violence an epidemic touching all communities.
Driving around campus, there is still a heavy police presence even though the lockdown has been lifted. One student, who was leaving for the holidays, said: “Our perfect bubble, that we’ve been in for so long, just shattered.”
Campus response and victim updates
Seven injured students remain stable, one critical, one discharged; all victims are students including Durham Academy alumna Kendall Turner. Brown President Christina Paxson reported 2,000 students relocated overnight, with campus areas restricted.
President Donald Trump expressed hopes for recovery and condolences.
The attack on the campus brings the number of mass shootings in the US to 389 for this year, according to the independent analysis website Gun Violence Archive. It defines mass shootings as having four or more victims killed or injured, not including the attacker.
Source/Featured photos: BBC
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