AUTHORITIES in Providence, U.S. confirmed that the victims of Brown University fatal shooting were two students and inflicted injuries to nine others.
Tragedy struck on Saturday when a gunman opened fire during a final exam review session in a classroom within the university’s Barus and Holley building;
The building houses classrooms and laboratories for the engineering and physics departments.
CNN cited today that authorities described the suspect as a man in his 30s, wearing dark clothing, and warned residents to stay inside as the manhunt continues.
Surveillance footage released by police shows a figure believed to be the shooter leaving the campus along Hope Street, turning onto Waterman Street, although his face is not clearly visible.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley reassured the public that, while the suspect remains at large, there is no current evidence of an ongoing threat to the wider community.
“We at this time are not recommending that those events be cancelled. It’s a personal choice whether you want to cancel your holiday party but we do not think it is necessary,” he said.
The mayor added that attending church services was considered safe.
Students described hours of fear and uncertainty as the campus was placed under lockdown. Ethan Schenker, who was studying in the basement of a campus library, recalled receiving a lockdown alert via text.
“I immediately just called my parents and my brother to let them know I was okay and to make sure my friends were okay. It didn’t seem real,” he told CNN. He described the library as being “very on edge” while law enforcement secured the campus.
Freshman Shiney Mayanja also recounted the tense hours while evacuating a building near the scene. “
‘We didn’t really think about this seriously until we saw more messages and saw people running outside. We saw the cop lights. Then we knew,” she said.
She and her friends barricaded the door with a table and turned off the lights while hiding.
“We were scared for our lives,” Mayanja added, reflecting on the devastating loss so close to the holiday season.
The injured were transported to Rhode Island Hospital, with six in critical but stable condition, one in critical condition, and two stable.
The hospital remains on lockdown but continues to accept emergency patients. The Miriam Hospital, also in Providence, has not received any patients related to the incident.
This marks Rhode Island’s first school shooting since at least 2008, according to data maintained by CNN.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting, and more than 400 law enforcement officers from local, state, and federal agencies, including the FBI and ATF, are actively searching for the suspect.
Investigators have recovered shell casings from the scene as evidence, Providence Mayor Smiley confirmed, though he refrained from disclosing further details.
The investigation continues as authorities work to apprehend the gunman and ensure the safety of students, staff, and residents in the surrounding area.
The attack unfolded in Barus and Holley classroom 166 during a Principles of Economics final exam review session, which has a capacity of 186 people.
Students reported diving behind the teacher’s desk to avoid bullets as the first shots rang out, bringing sudden terror to an otherwise routine study session.
The incident has left the Brown University community in shock, mourning the loss of life and grappling with the trauma of a campus violence event in what had been considered a safe academic environment. - December 14, 2025
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