Live updates: 2 dead, 9 wounded in Brown University shooting; suspect in custody
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A suspect is in custody in connection with the shooting, officials say. A shelter-in-place order across the campus has since been lifted.
What we know
- Two people died and nine others were wounded following a shooting this afternoon at the Barus & Holley building of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, officials said.
- Of the injured, one was in critical condition, six were critical but stable and two were stabilized, a Brown University Health spokesperson said tonight.
- Two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter say a suspect is in custody in connection with the shooting.
- An earlier order for the Brown campus and surrounding neighborhoods to shelter in place has since been lifted.
Suspect is in custody after shooting, officials say
Two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter say a suspect is in custody in connection with the shooting.
The man had a unique characteristic on his firearm and that firearm was found when he was taken into custody.
The person has not been identified and has not yet been charged.
Shelter in place order lifted but police activity continues, Brown says
The shelter in place order issued by police earlier "has ended for the entire Brown campus," Brown University said in a message on its website.
"Police activity continues in areas that are still considered an active crime scene, the message added. "Be advised that access to these areas of campus continues to be limited."
Within the police perimeter, "community members who leave those buildings will be unable to return," Brown said.
What we know about the Brown University shooting
A gunman killed two people and injured nine others after opening fire at Brown University’s engineering and physics building in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday, officials said.
The unidentified gunman left after the shooting at the Barus & Holley building, on the eastern edge of the campus, Commander Timothy O’Hara, deputy chief of Providence police, said Saturday night.
People in the area were advised to shelter in place amid an active manhunt.
'An unimaginably tragic day,' says Brown University President
This is "a day that no university community is ever prepared for," Brown University President Christina H. Paxson has said in a statement, after two students were killed and nine other people injured after a shooting at the university.
"While we prepare for major crises, we always pray this day never comes. This is a time for our campus to care for each other and support each other," she added.
Paxson said Brown remains under a shelter-in-place order and that Sunday exams had been cancelled.
"It is an active police scene, and the priority is to keep everyone safe," said the statement. "This is an unimaginably tragic day."
Shelter in place alert remains in effect
A Brown University alert to shelter in place remains ongoing, the university posted on X early Sunday morning.
"Law enforcement officers continue to evacuate community members from administrative buildings inside the perimeter depicted on the map," it said, directing students toward a map published at http://www.brown.edu
"For all locations (inside and outside the perimeter), the shelter in place remains ongoing," it added.
Brown University President Christina Paxson said students who are in residence halls "should remain there."
"Sheltering in place at this stage means staying in doors," a statement added. "Students in off-campus residences are advised to remain there until the lockdown is lifted."
The statement continued: "All members of the campus community will receive an alert notifying students, faculty and staff when the shelter in place order is lifted."
Grad student recalls hiding in bathroom for over four hours
Graduate student Jack Diprimio said he was doing busy work in the lobby of an academic building about two to three blocks from the building where the shooting occurred.
At first, he didn’t think too much of the SMS alerts saying there was an active shooting. “I had been through so many lockdowns in school and in undergrad that I wasn’t that worried,” Diprimio said.
He went outside and saw people running from Barus & Holley, where the shooting occurred, and then he started getting texts about possible numbers of people injured. He quickly realized this may not be a false alarm.
Diprimio said he ran into his apartment building nearby but didn’t have his keys. He recalled running out to the street again and into a nearby dorm, where a student in the building held the door open for him to run inside.
Once inside, Diprimio said he hid alone in a bathroom in the basement for 4 to 5 hours. He turned the lights off and tried to make as little noise as possible. He passed the time by scrolling social media, trying to glimpse what information he could about the situation outside. About three hours in, his phone died, so he went to the Department of Public Safety across the street to charge it. After that, Diprimio said, they let him go back into his apartment.
As of 1 a.m., Diprimio said students and others were still in lockdown across campus, waiting for law enforcement to clear their building. He said he keeps calling friends because he doesn’t want to be alone with his thoughts.
“A lot of us had just finished finals and there’s this crushing wave of grief and sadness,” he said. “It’s such a horrible way to end the semester.”
Brown University students describe uncertainty and fear in lockdown after shooting
First-year Brown University Benjamin DiBella was in the Sciences Library at the Providence college Saturday afternoon when someone yelled that there was an active shooter on campus.
There was — but in a nearby building, Barus & Holley, where a gunman opened fire on people in a classroom, authorities said, killing two and wounding nine others. The manhunt for the shooter was ongoing early this morning.
DiBella went to the messaging board Sidechat, “and saw dozens of messages all only minutes old noting panic and gunshots,” DiBella said.
Brown University students are evacuated in a public bus after a mass shooting at the Barus & Holley building in Providence, R.I., on Saturday. Bing Guan / AFP via Getty Images
What followed was a lockdown on the ninth floor, where doors were barricaded and people scrolled news feeds for information over the next two-and-a-half hours, he said.
“We were aware that police forces were gradually clearing the floors of the Sciences Library, and at times we heard them on floors above and beneath us,” DiBella said.
Authorities set up tip lines for information as manhunt continues
Providence police and the FBI have established tip lines and websites seeking information as law enforcement search for the gunman who opened fire in a classroom at Brown University.
The FBI has a portal for people to share images or video. The bureau asked for tips to find what it called a "Person of Interest" on its X account. "If you have any information, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or http://tips.fbi.gov," it said.
Providence police also set a tip line at 401-272-1111.
Brown cancels final exams that were scheduled for tomorrow
Final exams scheduled for tomorrow have been canceled, Brown University Provost Frank Doyle said during a news conference tonight.
"At this time, we will not be having final exams tomorrow," he said.
End-of-semester finals started yesterday and were scheduled through the end of next weekend, according to the school's academic calendar.
Two final exams were taking place today inside Brown's Barus & Holley building, where the shooting took place, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said. The building is a core part of the school's engineering and physics programs and stands on the eastern edge of campus.
Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team work at the scene of the shooting. Kyle Mazza / Anadolu via Getty Images
Doyle said there's so much going on inside the seven-story building that it's been difficult so far to determine what was happening inside the ground-floor classroom where the shooting took place.
Perimeter established around part of campus as shelter-in-place warning continues
A shelter-in-place warning remains in place for the Brown University campus and the surrounding area.
The university tonight posted a map of the perimeter placed by law enforcement.
“For all locations (inside and outside the perimeter), the shelter in place remains ongoing — unless escorted by a law enforcement officer, this means ensuring no movement across or near campus,” Brown University said.
‘You can safely go to church tomorrow,’ Providence mayor says
As the search for the Brown University gunman continues, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said that there is no known threat to the larger community.
“It’s a personal choice whether you want to cancel your holiday party, but we do not feel it is necessary,” Smiley said in a news conference late tonight.
“In the hours that have eclipsed since the initial shooting, we’ve received no additional credible information that there is any specific ongoing threat from this individual,” he said.
"We do believe you can safely go to church tomorrow,” Smiley said. There will be an increased police presence in the city, he said.
Authorities release video of possible Brown University shooter
Providence police late Saturday released security camera video that shows the person believed to be the Brown University shooter walking away from campus after he allegedly opened fire inside a classroom.
The video, only a few seconds long, shows what appears to be a man in dark, loose pants, a dark jacket, and possibly also in a knit cap, walking down Hope Street and rounding a corner lined by a retaining wall as he heads east toward the city’s riverfront, as earlier described by Commander Timothy O’Hara, Providence deputy chief of police. It does not clearly show the man’s face.
It's not clear from video what happened beforehand, but officials had earlier said the gunman fled the school down Hope Street and was clad in all black.
Brown junior who survived shooting at her high school describes living through another one
Brown University junior Mia Tretta was wounded in a school shooting at her high school in Santa Clarita, California, in 2019. Today, she was at the Providence university when she received reports of an active shooter on campus.
She said after she received the first text, hundreds rolled in. "It came from every group chat, every person I know, and Brown itself," Tretta said.
“No one in this country even assumes it’s going to happen to them," she said when talking about gun violence. "Once it happens to you, you assume or are told it will never happen again. And obviously that is not the case."
She said when picking colleges she wanted something small, someplace she could feel safe. She even mentioned that in her entire time at Brown, she has never entered a library alone out of fear.
President Joe Biden applauds as Mia Tretta speaks during an event at the White House in 2022. Chris Kleponis / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
“Like everyone here at Brown, I’m scared. Our whole community is kind of in shambles,” she said.
She said the day she was shot in 2019 changed her life forever. "I have not been the same person I was that day ever again, and I assume it won't be any different for the students at Brown."
Over 400 law enforcement officers on the ground in search for suspect, mayor says
There are more than 400 law enforcement officers on the ground searching for the gunman who opened fire at a Brown University building today, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said.
“Every minute matters. We know every minute matters,” Smiley said at a news conference tonight.
Officials have thus far only been able to describe the shooter as a male wearing black clothing.
Brown University students are escorted by police as they leave a building. Marc Vasconcellos / Marc Vasconcellos / USA Today Network via Imagn
Shooting took place inside a classroom
Today's attack at Brown University took place inside a first floor classroom, officials said at a late-night news conference.
The officials at the event were unable to say how many people were inside or why they were there.
Brown University President Christina H. Paxson said eight of those injured in the attack are believed to be students. It was unclear whether a ninth person who authorities announced had been injured by fragments is a student.
The classroom is inside the university's Barus & Holley building, which houses its engineering and physics departments. Mayor Brett Smiley said finals were taking place inside the Barus & Holley building at the time, but officials could not confirm what was happening in the classroom at the time.
"Because there were exams taking place, the outer doors of the building were unlocked," he said at tonight's news conference. "There were sure to be doors inside the building that were locked and that required access. But the outer doors were unlocked because it was 4 o'clock while exams were taking place."
The institution has been amid final exams since yesterday. Some were scheduled today, and they were expected to continue through the end of next weekend.
Shelter in place remains for Brown and surrounding neighborhood
A shelter-in-place warning remained in effect for Brown University and the surrounding neighborhood tonight, but not for the city of Providence as a whole, Mayor Brett Smiley said.
“We have no reason to believe that there is any particular threat beyond that area at this time,” Smiley said at a news conference.
The gunman in today’s deadly shooting at Brown University has not been caught and authorities are searching for him.
Law enforcement officers stand outside the Nelson Fitness Center after Brown University was locked down. Taylor Coester / Reuters
‘No reason to believe that there are any additional threats,’ mayor says
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said tonight that calls of other shootings following the mass shooting at Brown University were unrelated.
“We have no reason to believe that there are any additional threats at this time,” he said at a news conference. “Any calls that have been received in the last several hours to 911 have been unrelated.”
“There have been no additional calls for service or calls of anything related to this incident,” he said.
A manhunt is underway to find the shooter.
Law enforcement in a neighborhood near Brown University on Saturday. Steven Senne / AP
11th victim hurt by fragments in shooting
The number of victims in today’s shooting rose to 11, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said, after an additional person was found to have been hurt by fragments.
The additional victim was not shot and the injuries are not life-threatening. Smiley said.
Officials previously said two people were killed and eight were injured, most of whom are in critical condition.
Students locked down in dorms express shock and sadness at shooting
As he takes shelter in his dorm, Brown University sophomore Satvik Paduri considers himself lucky.
He was in his dorm Saturday night as authorities hunted for a gunman who shot 10 people in a building on campus hours earlier, prompting warnings to shelter in place. But some of his friends remained locked down in libraries or in the homes of friends.
“I definitely don’t feel comfortable going out of my dorm room just because they haven’t found the shooter,” 19-year-old Texas native Paduri said. “Obviously, he could be anywhere.”
All of Paduri’s friends are safe, but there were fears when one of them, who was in the engineering building, was marked online as still being there after the shooting.
“It turns out he was able to get out but just left his phone behind in the panic,” Paduri said. “It’s just horrifying that something like this has occurred so close to home," he said.
Atman Shah, also a sophomore, and his friend Amber were staying with four other friends in a dorm that normally houses four people. Shah, 19, said he and Amber were having a meeting at a cafe about a block away when everyone started quickly leaving.
"You saw police cars with lights and sirens going like 60 mph down a residential road, and that’s when we knew, ‘OK, something serious is happening,’” Shah said.
Brown University sent alerts to students warning them to shelter in place.
“It’s been a pretty shocking day,” said Shah, of California. “As of right now, it seems like we’re spending the night in this room.”
Paduri and Shah both said they are fortunate neither they nor any of their friends were hurt, and their thoughts are with the victims.
Both have some tangential experience to shootings in public places, a sad commentary on modern life, due to gunfire at malls where their friends either worked or were shopping.
“But this hits a lot closer to home,” Paduri said. “It’s shocking.”
‘A deeply tragic day,’ Brown University president says
Brown University President Christina H. Paxson said tonight that, “This is a deeply tragic day for Brown, our families and our local community” after a mass shooting on campus that killed two people and wounded others.
“There are truly no words that can express the deep sorrow we are feeling for the victims of the shooting that took place today at the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building,” Paxson wrote in a message to the community.
Police clearing the Barus & Holley building at Brown University. Mark Patinkin / Providence Journal / USA Today Network
She also urged faculty, staff and students to let their loved ones know that they are safe, whether they spend time at that building or not.
“They are worried about you,” she wrote.
The shooter has not been caught. Police described the gunman as a male dressed in black.
“This is a day that we hoped never would come to our community. It is deeply devastating for all of us,” Paxson wrote. “We are grateful to law enforcement for their immediate response and their ongoing work to ensure the safety of our community. Please continue to take all steps to be safe.”
7 remain in critical condition after shooting
Seven people injured in today’s mass shooting at Brown remained in critical condition tonight, Brown University Health said.
The eight victims are being treated at Rhode Island Hospital, which is under Brown Health.
One is in critical condition; six are in critical but stable condition; and one is in stable condition, Brown Health said.
Providence mayor was at home 'about a block away' from shooting
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley was at home "about a block away" from tonight's shooting on the east side of campus watching sports when lights and sirens erupted, he said tonight.
Smiley was home watching a game when he "saw lights and sirens go by my house," he said during tonight's news conference.
The mayor said that it was about the time he noticed the urgent response that Commander Timothy O’Hara, deputy chief of Providence police, called to inform him about the shooting.
No weapon has been found, police say
Police have not recovered a weapon after today’s deadly shooting at Brown University, Providence police Commander Timothy O’Hara said.
The type of gun used is also unknown, he said at a news conference. Authorities are searching for the shooter.
“We just know that it was a firearm. What type of firearm, we’re unaware of,” O’Hara said.
Police gather near Brown University on Saturday night. Steven Senne / AP
Police searching for one shooter
Providence police Commander Timothy O’Hara said that right now investigators believe there is one shooter.
He asked people nearby the scene to check doorbell and other home camera systems as police search for the shooter.
Asked if he was confident there was only one person at large, O’Hara said, “that’s the information we have now.”
Police walk tonight near an entrance to Brown University. Steven Senne / AP
Trump: 'All we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt'
Trump, arriving at the White House on Marine One, reiterated that he's been briefed on the shooting.
"I've been fully briefed on the Brown University situation," Trump said. "What a terrible thing it is, and all we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt."
He expressed sorrow for the dead and those critically injured.
"It’s a shame," he said. "It’s a shame. Just pray. Thank you very much."
Suspect described as ‘male dressed in black’
Providence police released a brief description of a gunman.
"Preliminarily, all we have is a suspect that was a male dressed in black,” Providence Police Commander Timothy O’Hara, deputy chief of the department, said at a news conference.
"It is unknown how he entered the building, but we do know that he exited the Hope Street side of that complex,” O’Hara said.
Police received a call of an active shooter inside a building at Brown University and officers entered the building but did not find a suspect, he said.
“We’re utilizing every resource possible to find this suspect,” O’Hara said.
Shooting took place at Brown’s Barus & Holley building
Today’s shooting at Brown University took place at the Barus & Holley building, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said.
The building houses the university’s engineering and physics departments.
“The unthinkable has happened,” Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee said at a news conference.
2 dead, 8 critical, Providence mayor says
Two people are dead and eight others are in critical condition at a hospital, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said.
The eight people in critical condition are stable, he said.
The shooter is not in custody, the mayor said.
The call of an active shooter came in to Brown University at 4:05 p.m., Smiley said.
Engineering student says he hid in lab for 2 hours
A Brown student working on a PhD in engineering hid in a campus lab for two hours following a campus alert about an active shooter, he told NBC affiliate WJAR of Providence tonight.
"We decided to turn the lights off and close all the doors and hide under our desks," Chiang-Heng Chien said.
The group felt safe, he said, because the lab was generally accessible only to someone with a a key.
Authorities later came by and wanted to clear buildings as part of their hunt for the shooter, Chien said.
So the students in the lab fled hastily, leaving behind belongings and in his case, a jacket, in 37-degree weather in Providence tonight.
"I was hoping that no one's getting hurt," Chien said.
The student said he believes the gunfire was about one block from the location of his lab. He said he wasn't sure where he should be now.
Governor Street shooting report unfounded, university says
Reports of shots fired two blocks away from the scene of the earlier incident at or near Brown University were unfounded, the school said.
"The earlier report of a secondary shooting incident near Governor Street is unfounded," the university said on its website at 6:10 p.m.
"However, it remains critical to continue to shelter in place due to the original situation. Stay tuned for further safety information," Brown said.
‘Confirmed reports of multiple shooting victims,’ Brown says
Brown University said that there have been multiple shooting victims, but it did not say how many or their conditions.
“The situation is ongoing, and all members of the community should continue to shelter in place,” Brown said on its website.
“We are very sorry to share that we have confirmed reports of multiple shooting victims, but we do not yet have information about their condition that we are in a position to share,” it said.
“They have been transported to local hospitals,” Brown said.
Brown said that it was informed the campus of an active shooter incident near the Barus & Holley building at 4:22 p.m.
“We are working immediately to determine who was in the building at the time of the shooting. We had multiple exams scheduled in that building from 2 pm to 5 pm.,” Brown said.
Final exam week started yesterday.
'Situation remains ongoing,' Brown says
Brown University said on its website a short time ago that the situation remains ongoing.
"Situation remains ongoing. Continue to shelter in place. Law enforcement on site," it said on its website in an update at 5:52 p.m.
Emergency personnel respond to reports of a shooting at Brown University. Mark Stockwell / AP
ATF says its agents are responding to Brown
Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are responding to Brown University, the agency’s Boston field office said.
“ATF agents are responding to the Brown University active shooter incident,” ATF Boston said on X.
The FBI also said it is assisting.
Barus & Holley building houses engineering and physics departments
Brown University's Barus & Holley building, in the area where authorities have warned of an active shooter, houses the institution's engineering and physics departments.
The seven-story, circa-1965 building east of the campus' College Green, is part of a redeveloped engineering complex that will include a revamped Design Hub, to be called the Lassonde Innovation and Design Hub, and the Engineering Research Center, the school said.
The structure on the east side of campus is named for physicist Carl Barus and Brown alumni Alexander Lyman Holley, who helped develop Bessemer steel.
Trump says he has been briefed on situation
President Donald Trump said he's been briefed on the situation at Brown and that the FBI is at the scene.
"God bless the victims and the families of the victims!” he said in a post on Truth Social.
'Multiple shot in the area of Brown University,' police say
Providence police said on social media that multiple people have been shot near Brown University. It did not disclose a number.
"Multiple shot in the area of Brown University," police said around 5:33 p.m. "This is an active investigation. Please shelter in place or avoid the area until further notice."
‘Praying for our community,’ governor says
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said that his office is monitoring the incident at Brown University and that state police and the state emergency management agency is coordinating with law enforcement.
“Praying for our community,” McKee said on X.
FBI aware of incident, has deployed resources
An FBI spokesperson said that the agency is aware of the of the incident at Brown University, has deployed resources and is ready to assist.
Brown says report of gunshots east of initial area
Brown University in a new update said there was a report of gunshots east of where the initial incident was reported.
"Report of shots fired near Governor street. Continue to shelter in place. Stay clear. Law enforcement responding," Brown said in an update at 5:27 p.m.
Governor Street is two blocks from Hope Street, which was the location given by officials earlier.
Student heard gunshots while studying
A student told The Brown Daily Herald that she was studying in the Engineering Research Center lobby when she heard gunshots at around 4:10 p.m.
Katie Sun told the student newspaper she evacuated the building, leaving her belongings behind, and went to her dorm.
“It was honestly quite terrifying,” she told the Herald, which is a student newspaper.
Brown University says no suspect in custody after earlier report of detention
Brown University walked back an earlier statement saying a suspect was in custody, issuing a new emergency alert that said police does not have a suspect in custody and are continuing to search for one or more suspects.
"Continue to shelter in place. Remain away from Barus & Holley area," the university said at 5:11 p.m.
"Brown coordinating with multiple law enforcement agencies on site. Emergency medical on scene. Stay tuned for further safety Stay tuned for further safety information," the latest update reads.
Shelter-in-place order remains, Brown warns
While it announced “one suspect in custody,” Brown University warned that people should continue to shelter in place.
The latest emergency alert issued at 4:51 p.m. said there was a large police presence on the scene and instructed people to "lock doors, silence phones and stay stay hidden until further notice."
Police warn of 'heavy presence'
Providence Police said on X that “There is currently heavy Providence Police and Fire presence on Hope Street near Brown University.”
“Please exercise caution and avoid this area until further notice,” the police department said.
Suspect taken into custody, authorities say
A shooter was reported on or near the campus of Brown University in Rhode Island and one person was in custody, the university’s public safety department and Providence police said this afternoon.
Brown University said on its Emergency Information website that “There’s an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering.” The alert instructed people to lock their doors, silence their phones and stay safe.
A second alert at around 4:50 p.m. said that “One suspect in custody” and that Brown and Providence police were on the scene. It said people should continue to shelter in place.
The student newspaper, The Brown Daily Herald, reported that an alert and call went out to students about the incident.
