Brown University Students Survive Mass Shootings Again

The campus of Brown University was shattered on a Saturday when an unidentified gunman entered the campus, killing two students and wounding nine others before fleeing. The tragedy has left the community in shock, but for two students, it echoes a past that still feels all too close.

The Survivors

Mia Tretta, 21, was shot in the 2019 mass shooting at Saugus High School, about 40 miles north of Los Angeles. A 16‑year‑old boy carried out that attack, killing two, including Tretta’s best friend, and injuring three before fatally shooting himself. Zoe Weissman, 20, attended Westglades Middle School, adjacent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a former student opened fire, killing 17, in 2018. Neither Tretta nor Weissman expected to experience a mass shooting again.

The Brown Incident

At Brown on Saturday, an unidentified gunman killed two students and injured another nine before fleeing. He remains at large. The incident unfolded in a campus building, and the sound of gunfire quickly spread across the university’s quad, prompting students to flee or seek shelter. The police response was swift, and the campus was placed under lockdown until the threat was contained.

Personal Reactions

Tretta said, “No one in this country even assumes it’s going to happen to them.” She added, “Once it happens to you, you assume or are told it will never happen again, and obviously that is not the case.” The trauma of her 2019 injury followed her to Brown even before Saturday’s attack. She said she can’t enter a library on campus alone for fear that another shooting could happen.

Personal Reactions

Weissman said she was at her dorm when a friend called to say students were running away from a campus building and a shooting was likely underway. She stayed put and said she has remained at her dorm room since she first heard the news. “At first, I was panicked,” Weissman, a sophomore pre‑med student, said in a phone interview. “Once I knew a little more and I didn’t feel there was imminent danger, I felt numb — exactly how I did when I was 12.”

Fear Turned Anger

Both students have turned fear into anger and are outspoken about gun violence. Their stories highlight the lingering impact of mass shootings on survivors and the broader campus community.

Weissman’s Activism

Weissman has become an activist calling for greater gun regulation. When she was 16, she was president of March for Our Lives in Parkland, a chapter of the group co‑founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor David Hogg. “I’m angry that I thought I’d never have to deal with this again, and here I am eight years later,” Weissman said. She said the activism helps her heal, and her experience draws attention to gun regulation.

Healing Through Activism

“I think the fact this is my second shooting can be very impactful for people,” she said. “When people put a face to something, they care a lot more.” Weissman said the activism helps her heal, and her experience draws attention to gun regulation.

Tretta’s Reflection

Tretta 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,” she said. “I assume it won’t be any different for the students at Brown.” Phil Helsel contributed.

Closing

The recent tragedy at Brown University serves as a stark reminder that the threat of mass shootings remains alive, and survivors like Tretta and Weissman continue to voice their anger and advocate for change.