Brown University Locked Down After Active Shooter Kills Two, Wounds Nine

An active shooter was reported on or near the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, Saturday afternoon, according to the university’s public safety department. The gunman opened fire in the Barus & Holley building, where a classroom was the target. Two students were killed and nine others were wounded, officials said. The incident triggered a campus‑wide lockdown and a manhunt that continued into early Sunday. The university’s communications, including the campus messaging board Sidechat, were flooded with frantic messages from students and staff as the situation unfolded.

First‑year student Benjamin DiBella was in the Sciences Library when someone yelled that an active shooter was on campus. DiBella, who was using the library’s study area, described how the alert came from a nearby building. He went to the messaging board Sidechat and saw dozens of messages all only minutes old noting panic and gunshots. The messages reflected the rapid spread of information and the growing sense of urgency among the student body.

Lockdown of the 9th floor began as soon as the campus received the warning. Doors were barricaded and students were instructed to stay inside. For the next two‑and‑a‑half hours, people scrolled news feeds for updates while hearing police forces gradually clearing the floors of the Sciences Library. DiBella recalled, “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.” The campus remained on high alert throughout the night.

The Ivy League institution issued a shelter‑in‑place order around 4:05 p.m., telling everyone to lock doors, silence phones, and stay inside. Students were told to run and fight if absolutely necessary. The order stayed in effect at midnight for the campus and surrounding neighborhoods. A perimeter was established, and many people waited in administrative buildings for a law‑enforcement escort to leave. The campus remained closed until the final scheduled update of the night.

In his dorm room Saturday night, sophomore Satvik Paduri, 19, of Texas, considered himself lucky. He had arrived home about an hour before the shooting and subsequent lockdown. Paduri said, “I definitely don’t feel comfortable going out of my dorm room just because they haven’t found the shooter. Obviously, he could be anywhere.” All of Paduri’s friends were safe, but one of them, who was in the engineering building, was marked online as still being there after the shooting. Paduri explained that the friend was able to get out but left his phone behind in the panic. “It’s just horrifying that something like this has occurred so close to home,” he added.

Atman Shah, also a sophomore, and his friend Amber were staying with friends in a dorm where four normally live. They were having a meeting about a block away at a cafe when police cars with lights and sirens were seen speeding down a residential road. Shah recalled, “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.’” He said it seemed likely they would all spend the night in the room. The shock of the shooting and the panic of trying to reach friends who had left their phones behind began to ease by Saturday night. “As time goes on, it just becomes a deep sadness,” Shah said.

University officials discussed their investigation into the deadly shooting during the final scheduled update of the night. They emphasized efforts to ensure the safety of the city for the rest of the weekend. The manhunt for the shooter was ongoing early Sunday, with police continuing to search the campus and surrounding areas. The public safety department reiterated that the campus was still under a shelter‑in‑place order and that a perimeter remained in place.

Paduri and Shah both said they were fortunate that neither they nor any of their friends were hurt, and their thoughts were with the victims. Both students mentioned having experienced gunfire at malls where friends either worked or were shopping. “But this hits a lot closer to home,” Paduri said. “It’s shocking.” Their comments reflected the emotional toll of the incident on the student community.

Matt Lavietes contributed to the reporting. An active shooter was reported on or near the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, the university’s public safety department said this afternoon.

The incident underscored the vulnerability of college campuses to sudden acts of violence and the importance of rapid communication and coordinated emergency response. As the search for the shooter continues, the Brown community remains united in mourning the lives lost and in supporting those who were injured.

Key Takeaways

• The campus was locked down after an active shooter killed two and wounded nine.
• Students shared real‑time updates on Sidechat while police cleared the building.
• The university remains on high alert, with a perimeter still in place.