Two people were killed and nine others injured during a shooting Saturday afternoon on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said Saturday night. A suspect, whom officials described only as a man dressed in black, remains at large.
Six of the injured are in critical but stable condition, one is in critical condition and one is in stable condition, a Brown University Health spokeswoman said Saturday night. Smiley said that an additional victim had suffered non-life-threatening injuries from “fragments” near them and is expected to make a full recovery. Authorities have not identified the two people killed or those injured.
Authorities released a short video late Saturday night showing the person they believe to be the suspect in the shooting. The video shows a man, dressed all in black and wearing a black beanie, walking down a sidewalk at a brisk pace before taking a sharp right turn and continuing down the sidewalk until he is out of the frame. The man’s face could not be seen in the video.
Smiley said authorities were canvassing the neighborhood and campus “for additional video footage, still photography and are interviewing witnesses.”
Providence Police Commander Timothy O’Hara asked the public during a news conference to contact police if they recognize the person. He added that authorities had received some tips related to the suspect, but “none of them have worked out for us yet.”
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez Jr. said the shooting took place inside a first-floor classroom in the Barus & Holley building, a university engineering and physics building that contains classrooms and lab space. Police were alerted to the gunshots at 4:05 p.m.
Perez said police do not know how the suspect entered the building but said he exited on the Hope Street side of the complex.
No “useful video” from inside the engineering complex where the shooting took place has been found, Smiley said.
Brown president Christina Paxson said Saturday night that the two who were killed and at least eight of those injured were students at the university. Authorities said they had not confirmed that.
“This is the day that one hopes never happens, and it has. Our focus right now is on supporting the families who have been affected by this,” Paxson said.
Police did not give a motive for the shooting. O’Hara said earlier that authorities had not found the weapon used in the shooting. “We just know that it was a firearm, whatever type of firearm, we’re unaware.”
He also asked residents in the immediate area to help with the search by reviewing their security footage and doorbell camera footage.
Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee said he had spoken with President Donald Trump on the phone shortly before the later news conference. Trump expressed urgency and offered support from federal authorities “to make sure that we catch the individual that brought so much suffering to so many people,” McKee said.
Trump said earlier Saturday evening that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was working alongside local law enforcement. “What a terrible thing it is,” he told reporters outside the White House. “All we can do right now is pray for the victims.”
“My community is afraid right now, and we’re saddened that this has come to Providence,” Smiley said. “There are still eight people in the hospital right now, and there’s two people who a week away from Christmas aren’t going to be celebrating with their family, or two days away from the first day of Hanukkah.”
Law enforcement members established a perimeter around a portion of Brown’s campus, according to an update from university police. Individuals in residential buildings within the perimeter were told to continue sheltering in place. Those in administrative campus buildings were told to wait until law enforcement officials arrive to escort them out.
All final exams that had been scheduled for Sunday have been canceled, Brown University Provost Francis Doyle said. Members of the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are on the scene and working with local and state authorities, O’Hara said. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said he was “praying for the victims and their families,” adding, “My heart breaks for the students who were looking forward to a holiday break and instead are dealing with another horrifying mass shooting, this time in our own Providence community.” Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in a statement: “Brown’s students and its neighbors are shaken. Some families, classmates, and loved ones are gathered together in hospital waiting rooms at this very moment waiting for updates on patients. We are with them in spirit. They will need the support of all of us in the days ahead.” Gun safety advocates condemned the tragedy and called for meaningful action. “Students should only have to worry about studying for finals right now, not hiding from gunfire,” former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who survived a shooting in 2011, said in a statement. “Guns are the leading cause of death for young people in America — this is a five alarm fire and our leaders in Washington have ignored it for too long.” “While we await details, one thing is clear: today’s shooting at Brown University is another unacceptable reminder of our nation’s gun violence crisis,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement. “We either take action, or we bury more of our kids.” Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action, said: “No student should ever receive an alert telling them to run, hide, and fight just to survive on campus. This is not normal, it is not acceptable, and our students deserve action that ends gun violence — not instructions on how to endure a tragedy that never should have happened.” This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Anthony L. Fisher is a senior editor and opinion columnist for MS NOW.
Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW.
Sydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. Recommended
