Two Killed, 8 Wounded in Shooting at Brown University

Officers were searching campus buildings and going through trash cans more than three hours after the shooting began.

Deputy Police Chief Timothy O’Hara said the suspect was a male in dark clothing who was last seen leaving the engineering building where the attack took place.

Mayor Brett Smiley said a shelter-in-place order is in effect in the area and encouraged people living near campus to stay inside and not return to their homes until the shelter-in-place is lifted.

Smiley said “we have all the resources” to find the suspect.

The eight injured people were in critical but stable condition, the mayor said. He declined to say whether the victims were students or not.

University officials initially told students and staff that a suspect was in custody, but later said that was not the case and that police were still searching for the suspect or suspects, according to alerts issued through Brown’s emergency notification system.

The mayor said that a person previously thought to have been involved in the incident was detained, but it was later determined that he was not involved in the incident.

“We’re still getting information about what’s going on, but we’re just telling people to lock their doors and stay alert,” said John Goncalves, a member of the Providence Council, which includes the Brown campus. “As a Brown alumnus who loves the Brown community and represents this district, I am heartbroken. My heart goes out to all the family members and people affected.”

The attack took place in the seven-story Barus & Holley building, where the Faculty of Engineering and the physics department are located. According to the university’s website, the building contains more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices.

Engineering design exams were being held in the building when the shooting occurred.

While Brown senior biochemistry student Alex Bruce was working on a final research project in a dorm across the street from the building, he heard sirens outside and received a text about an active shooter shortly after 4 p.m.

“I’m shaking here,” he said as he watched through the window as a half-dozen armed officers in tactical gear surrounded his dormitory. He said he was afraid of a friend of his who he thought was in the engineering building at the time.

Chiangheng Chien, a doctoral student in engineering who was about a block away from the scene, said students in a nearby laboratory hid under desks and turned off the lights after being alerted to the attack.

Mari Camara, 20, a young student from New York City, was leaving the library and ran inside a taqueria for shelter. He spent more than three hours texting friends while police searched the campus.

“Everyone, like me, is shocked and horrified that something like this has happened,” he said.

President Donald Trump told reporters that he had been briefed on the attack and that “all we can do right now is pray for the victims.”

“It’s a shame,” he said in a brief speech at the White House.

Kristy DosReis, public information officer for the city of Providence, said police are actively investigating the scene and are still gathering information. The FBI said it was assisting with the response.

Brown is a private institution with approximately 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students.