At least two people were killed and nine others were wounded Saturday afternoon in a shooting inside a building on Brown University’s campus in Providence, Rhode Island, authorities said. The suspect has not been identified and remains at large.
Police said the shooting was reported a little after 4 p.m. local time in the Barus & Holley engineering building. Providence Deputy Police Chief Tim O’Hara said the attack took place in a first-floor classroom; the university said final exams were being held in the building at the time.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said eight of the wounded were taken to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition. The hospital later clarified that six patients were “critical but stable,” one was in critical condition, and another was stable. In a later briefing, Smiley added a ninth victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries from fragments and did not have a gunshot wound; that person is expected to fully recover.
Brown University President Christina H. Paxson told reporters that all of the victims — both those killed and those wounded — were students.
Officials said the male suspect fled the engineering building after the shooting. It was not immediately clear how he entered the building; Smiley noted the outer doors were unlocked because exams were taking place. No weapon has been recovered.
Brown Provost Francis Doyle said the building houses many activities on a weekend — study sessions, student groups and research labs — and investigators were working to determine what was happening at the time.
Late Saturday night, Providence police released security video showing a person believed to be the suspect leaving Barus & Holley. O’Hara described the individual as wearing dark gray or black clothing with an obscured face and said witnesses reported the person may have been wearing a camouflage gray mask. The footage does not show a firearm, and investigators do not yet know whether the gunman was a student.
University public safety briefly reported a suspect had been taken into custody but later retracted that statement; Smiley said the individual initially suspected was determined to have no involvement. More than 400 local and federal law enforcement officers were assisting in the investigation, Smiley said. A shelter-in-place order was issued for the Brown area, and students were advised to lock doors, silence phones and remain hidden until further notice.
President Donald Trump posted that he had been briefed and offered condolences, and initially said a suspect was in custody before noting that Brown police reversed the statement. Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee called the incident “unthinkable” and later spoke by phone with the president and FBI Director Kash Patel.
The FBI confirmed it was assisting Rhode Island law enforcement with available resources, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was sending agents. Pat Milton, Richard Esposito and Anna Schecter contributed to the reporting.