In a shocking incident that unfolded on Saturday afternoon, a shooting at Brown University left two students dead and nine others wounded, setting off a campus lockdown that lasted into the night. The attack, which took place in the engineering building’s Barus & Holley complex, involved a 9-mm handgun that fired more than 40 rounds. Despite a vigorous police response, authorities had not yet released a motive and no one had been charged as of the following morning.
The Incident
The gunman opened fire inside a classroom in the university’s engineering building, firing more than 40 rounds from a 9-mm handgun, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. As of Sunday morning, authorities had not recovered a firearm but did find two loaded 30-round magazines, the official said. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity.
Immediate Response
Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief, said that the person in custody was in their 20s and that investigators were not searching for anyone else but that no one has been charged yet. He declined to say whether the detained person had any connection to Brown. The person was taken into custody at a Hampton Inn hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 20 miles from Providence, where police officers and FBI agents remained Sunday, blocking off a hallway with crime scene tape as they searched the area.
The campus lockdown, which stretched into the night, was lifted early Sunday. Brown canceled all remaining classes, exams, papers and projects for the semester and told students they were free to leave campus, underscoring the scale of the disruption and the gravity of the attack.
Victims and Impact
College President Christina Paxson teared up while describing her conversations with students both on campus and in the hospital. ‘They are amazing and they’re supporting each other,’ she said at an afternoon news conference. ‘There’s just a lot of gratitude.’
One student of the nine wounded students had been released from the hospital, said Paxson. Seven others were in critical but stable condition and one was in critical condition.
Community Reaction
Mayor Brett Smiley invited residents to gather Sunday evening in a city park where an event had been scheduled to light a Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah. ‘For those who know at least bit of the Hanukkah story, it is quite clear that if we can come together as a community to shine a little bit of light tonight, there’s nothing better that we can be doing,’ he told reporters. Smiley said he visited some of the wounded students and was inspired by their courage, hope and gratitude. One told him that active shooting drills done in high school proved helpful.
‘The resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me, is frankly pretty overwhelming,’ he said. ‘We’re all saddened, scared, tired, but what they’ve been through is something different entirely.’
Many businesses announced Sunday that they would remain closed. A scheduled 5K run was postponed until next weekend.
Crystal McCollaum, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was staying at the hotel where the arrest occurred. She was with her daughter to attend a cheerleading competition in Providence, but after hearing about the shooting, she thought they would be safer staying outside the city.
‘It was just weird and scary,’ she said.
Investigation Details
Investigators were not immediately sure how the shooter got inside the first-floor classroom at the Barus & Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the School of Engineering and physics department. The building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices, according to the university’s website.
Outer doors of the building were unlocked but rooms being used for final exams required badge access, Smiley said.
Surveillance video released by police showed a suspect, dressed in black, walking from the scene.
Personal Stories
Emma Ferraro, a chemical engineering student, was in the lobby working on a final project when she heard loud pops coming from the east side. Once she realized they were gunshots, she darted for the door and ran to a nearby building where she waited for hours.
Eva Erickson, a doctoral candidate who was the runner-up earlier this year on the CBS reality competition show “Survivor,” said she left her lab in the engineering building 15 minutes before shots rang out.
The engineering and thermal science student shared candid moments on “Survivor” as the show’s first openly autistic contestant. She was locked down in the campus gym following the shooting and shared on social media that the only other member of her lab who was present was safely evacuated.
Brown senior biochemistry student Alex Bruce was working on a final research project in his dorm directly across the street from the building when he heard sirens outside. ‘I’m just in here shaking,’ he said, watching through the window as armed officers surrounded his dorm.
Students in a nearby lab turned off the lights and hid under desks after receiving an alert about the shooting, said Chiangheng Chien, a doctoral student in engineering who was about a block away from the scene.
Mari Camara, 20, a junior from New York City, was coming out of the library and rushed inside a taqueria to seek shelter. She spent more than three hours there, texting friends while police searched the campus.
‘Everyone is the same as me, shocked and terrified that something like this happened,’ she said.
Key Takeaways
- Brown University shooting leaves 2 dead, 9 wounded.
- Person in custody taken at Hampton Inn in Coventry, RI.
- Campus lockdown lifted Sunday; businesses closed and 5K run postponed.
The incident has shaken Providence and the Brown community, prompting a city-wide response and a focus on safety, resilience, and the need for continued vigilance. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities seek answers to this tragic event.
