Panic ripped through Brown University Saturday afternoon as a shooter opened fire inside an academic building during final exams, killing at least two people and critically wounding eight others, officials said.
The shooting happened inside the Barus and Holley building, home to the school’s engineering and physics departments, while students were sitting for exams.
“We do know that there were final exams taking place in the building between 2 and 5 p.m.,” Brown University Provost Francis J. Doyle III said at an evening news conference.
Police say the suspect is a male dressed in black who fled the scene on foot. Hours later, no one was in custody, no weapon had been recovered, and officials said they still do not know where the shooter is.
“This is a scary time,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said, as authorities ordered the campus and surrounding neighborhoods to shelter in place.
Inside the building, students locked doors, turned off lights, and hid under desks while police cleared the structure floor by floor.
One doctoral student, Chiangheng Chien, said he and three others remained hidden in their lab for nearly two hours.
“We decided to open the door and let the police come in and search our body and search our lab and then we were told to get out of this building right away,” Chien told CNN affiliate WJAR. “There were these armored police officers with all these weapons.”
No suspect in custody, search ongoing
Providence Deputy Chief of Police Tim O’Hara said investigators believe a firearm was used, though the type is unknown. Police urged nearby residents to review doorbell and surveillance cameras for “anything that looks suspicious.”
“We’re utilizing every resource possible to find this suspect,” O’Hara said. “Please do not come to the area.”
Authorities stressed there was no confirmed second shooting, despite earlier reports near Governor Street. The shelter-in-place order remains active.
President Donald Trump said he was briefed on the shooting and described the victims as “very badly hurt.”
“All we can do right now is pray for the victims,” Trump said.
Vice President JD Vance echoed those comments, saying, “We’re all thinking of and praying for the victims tonight.”
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting local police as the investigation continues.
Brown University confirmed two deaths and eight people hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Officials have not released information about the victims.
“There is no shooter in custody,” Mayor Smiley said. “Brown, Providence and the FBI are currently in close coordination as they seek to find the shooter or shooters.”
As night fell over Providence, police continued searching for the suspect while students and residents remained inside, waiting for answers.
