BY COMFORT OGBONNA
Hundreds of law enforcement officers launched an extensive manhunt across Brown University and surrounding neighborhoods after a gunman opened fire inside a classroom, killing two people and wounding nine others in one of the deadliest incidents ever to strike the Ivy League campus.
The shooting unfolded Saturday afternoon inside the university’s engineering building in Providence, Rhode Island, at a time when students were sitting for final exams. The violence sent shockwaves through the campus and nearby areas, triggering a massive police response that stretched late into the night as investigators searched buildings, reviewed surveillance footage and canvassed nearby streets in an effort to track down the suspect.
Police released surveillance video showing a person dressed in black calmly walking away from the scene shortly after the shooting. The individual’s face was not visible, and authorities said it remained unclear whether the suspect was a student. Witnesses told investigators that the suspect, believed to be in his 30s, may have been wearing a camouflage-style mask. The last confirmed sighting placed the suspect leaving the engineering building shortly after the gunfire erupted, according to Providence Police Deputy Chief Timothy O’Hara.
University President Christina Paxson said she had been informed that all 10 people who were shot were students. An additional person was injured by fragments from the shooting, though it was not immediately clear whether that individual was also a student. The attack left the Brown community reeling as students, faculty and staff grappled with the sudden loss and fear.
The intense search effectively shut down large parts of the campus and nearby neighborhoods known for their historic brick homes, as well as sections of downtown Providence. Streets that are typically busy on weekends fell eerily silent as residents complied with shelter-in-place orders. Students were instructed to remain where they were for hours while officers in tactical gear swept through buildings and escorted groups to safer locations.
Some students were led out of campus buildings and taken to a fitness center that had been converted into a temporary shelter. Others arrived there by bus, many without jackets, bags or personal belongings, having fled in haste when alerts warned of an active shooter.
Investigators were still working to determine how the gunman entered the first-floor classroom. While the outer doors of the building were unlocked, rooms being used for final exams required badge access, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said. He urged residents living near the campus to remain indoors or delay returning home until authorities lifted the shelter-in-place order.
“The Brown community’s heart is breaking, and Providence’s heart is breaking along with it,” Smiley said, reflecting the grief and anxiety that gripped the city.
Authorities believe the shooter used a handgun, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity. Democratic Governor Dan McKee said the state was deploying every available resource to help locate and apprehend the suspect, noting that Rhode Island already has some of the strictest gun laws in the country.
All nine people who suffered gunshot wounds were taken to Rhode Island Hospital. One victim was listed in critical condition, six required intensive care but were reported to be stable, and two others were also in stable condition, hospital spokesperson Kelly Brennan said.
The shooting occurred inside the Barus & Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses Brown’s School of Engineering and physics department. Engineering design exams were underway at the time of the attack. The building contains more than 100 laboratories, along with dozens of classrooms and offices, making it one of the busiest academic centers on campus.
Students who were nearby described moments of terror and confusion as the sound of gunfire rang out. Emma Ferraro, a chemical engineering student, said she was working in the building’s lobby on a final project when she heard loud popping noises coming from the east side of the structure. Once she realized the sounds were gunshots, she ran out and took shelter in a nearby building, where she remained for several hours.
Eva Erickson, a doctoral candidate in engineering and thermal science, said she had left her lab in the same building about 15 minutes before the shooting began. Erickson, who was recently a runner-up on the CBS reality show “Survivor,” later shared on social media that she was locked down in the campus gym and that the only other member of her lab who had been present was safely evacuated.
Across the street, Brown senior and biochemistry student Alex Bruce said he was working on a final research project in his dorm when he heard sirens and saw armed officers surrounding the area. “I’m just in here shaking,” he said, watching events unfold from his window.
Other students recounted hiding in place as alerts spread across campus. Chiangheng Chien, a doctoral engineering student about a block from the scene, said students in a nearby lab turned off the lights and hid under desks after receiving word of the shooting. Mari Camara, a 20-year-old junior from New York City, said she rushed into a nearby taqueria after leaving the library and spent more than three hours there, texting friends while police conducted their search.
“Everyone is the same as me, shocked and terrified that something like this happened,” Camara said.
Founded in 1764, Brown University is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nation’s most prestigious colleges. It enrolls roughly 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students. Tuition, housing and other fees approach $100,000 per year, according to the university, a fact that underscored the disbelief among students and families that such violence could erupt in the heart of the campus during final exams.
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