Police have person of interest in custody over Brown University deadly shooting

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A suspect has been taken into custody following a shooting that shook the Brown University campus during final exams, killing two people and wounding nine others, Rhode Island police said early Sunday.

Providence police chief Col. Oscar Perez confirmed at a press conference that the detained suspect was in his 30s. Perez did not say where the suspect was arrested or whether he had ties to the university.

Armed attack broke out In the engineering building of the Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island, during final exams. Hundreds of police officers combed the Brown University campus, along with nearby neighborhoods, and reviewed footage to catch the attacker. opened fire in the classroom.

Providence leaders warned that residents will notice a heavier police presence on Sunday. Many local businesses announced they would remain closed, and the community expressed shock and sadness as it continued to process the news of the shooting.

“Everyone is stunned and there is so much recovery ahead of us,” Brown University President Christina Paxson said at the press conference.

Security camera footage released by the police shows the suspect, dressed in black, calmly walking away from the scene. His face was not visible, and investigators said it was unclear whether the suspect was a student.

Providence Deputy Police Chief Timothy O’Hara said the suspect was last seen leaving the engineering building and some witnesses told police the suspect may have been wearing a camouflage mask.

Earlier, Paxson said he was told the 10 people shot were students. Another person was also injured in the armed attack, but it is not yet clear whether the victim is a student.

Searching for the attacker paralyzed the campusnearby neighborhoods were filled with stately brick homes and the downtown core of Rhode Island’s capital. The streets, normally lively on weekends, were eerily quiet.

Students remained in their seats for hours throughout the night. Officers in tactical gear escorted students out of some campus buildings and into a gymnasium where they waited. Others arrived at the shelter on buses without jackets or any belongings.

Mayor advised citizens to stay at home

Investigators were not immediately sure how the attacker got into the first-floor classroom. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said the building’s exterior doors were unlocked, but rooms used for final exams required card access.

He encouraged people living near campus to stay indoors or not return to their homes until the stay-at-home order is lifted.

“The Brown community’s heart is breaking, and Providence’s heart is breaking right along with it,” Smiley said.

Hours before the news conference, authorities said they believed the shooter used a handgun, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Rhode Island has some of the strictest gun laws in the US

Nine people injured by bullets were taken to Rhode Island Hospital, while one of them is in critical condition. Six people required intensive care but their condition did not deteriorate and two were in stable condition, hospital spokeswoman Kelly Brennan said.

Exams were ongoing during the shooting

Engineering design exams were in progress when the shooting occurred in the seven-story Barus & Holley building, which houses the Faculty of Engineering and the physics department. According to the university’s website, the building has more than 100 laboratories and dozens of classrooms and offices.

Chemical engineering student Emma Ferraro was working on a final project in the building’s lobby when she heard loud noises coming from the east side. When he realized there was a gunshot, he bolted for the door and ran to a nearby building, where he hid for several hours.

Former ‘Survivor’ contestant left the building

Eva EricksonThe doctoral candidate, who placed second on CBS’s reality competition “Survivor” earlier this year, said he left his laboratory in the engineering building 15 minutes before gunshots were heard.

The engineering and thermal science student shared candid moments on “Survivor,” the show’s first openly autistic contestant. He locked himself in the campus gym following the shooting and posted on social media that the only other member of his lab present had been safely evacuated.

Brown senior biochemistry student Alex Bruce was working on a final research project in a dorm just across the street from the building when he heard sirens outside.

“I’m shaking here,” he said as he watched from the window as armed police surrounded his dormitory.

Students hid under desks

Chiangheng Chien, a doctoral student in engineering who was about a block away from the scene, said students in a nearby laboratory turned off the lights and hid under desks after receiving warnings of the shooting.

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.

The seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, Brown is one of the nation’s most prestigious colleges with approximately 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students. Tuition, housing and other fees total about $100,000 a year, according to the university.

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Associated Press journalists Alanna Durkin Richer, Mike Balsamo and Seung Min Kim in Washington, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City, Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota, Martha Bellisle in Seattle and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.