What we know as police launch huge manhunt

Police are searching for the gunman who shot two students and injured nine others at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Police said the attacker was a man dressed in all black who fled on foot, and a “shelter in place advisory” was in effect for the area around the prestigious university.

The attack on the campus brought the number of mass shootings in the U.S. to 389 this year, according to independent analytics website Gun Violence Archive.

It defines mass shootings as the killing or wounding of four or more victims, not including the attacker.

Here’s what we know:

According to authorities, the gunman opened fire in a classroom in the Holley engineering building on the east end of the Brown campus around 16:00 (21:00) local time on Saturday.

The school said final exams were being held in the building at the time of the attack.

The Barus and Holley engineering building is a seven-storey block consisting of 117 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and three lecture halls.

An economics professor told local public media outlet Ocean State Radio that the attack occurred during a review session of his course, which his teaching assistant was leading.

“He said the shooter came through the doors, yelled something, couldn’t remember what he yelled, and started shooting,” said Rachel Friedberg.

“Students started scrambling to get away from the shooter, they tried to move lower into the stadium seating, and people were shot,” he added.

Two students studying at the nearby Rockefeller library told the BBC they were “staying away from the windows” while waiting for a police escort when the gunman alert came.

The duo said officers searched the floor, made them drop their bags and made them raise their hands before being escorted out of the library.

Brown University, one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States, is part of the Ivy League, a group of elite universities in the northeastern part of the country.

The university, which has more than 11,000 students, is located in Providence, Rhode Island’s capital, approximately 50 miles (80 km) from Boston and 180 miles (290 km) from New York City.

While two students lost their lives, nine people are still receiving treatment. Medics said one person was in critical condition, six people were in “critical but stable” condition and two others were in less serious condition.

The identities of those killed or injured have not yet been released, but Brown University President Christina Paxson told reporters at the press conference that all the victims, including those killed and injured, were students.

“This is a day we hope will never come to our community. It is a deeply devastating day for all of us,” he said in a statement. he said.

According to police, the ninth victim did not suffer gunshot wounds; They suffered non-life-threatening injuries from fragments from the shooting that “occurred near them,” police said.

Little is known about the gunman so far, but police have released CCTV footage showing a male suspect walking away from the scene wearing all black clothing.

No weapons are visible in the video and his face is covered. Authorities also stated that no firearms were found during a search of the building on Saturday.

Investigators don’t yet know if the gunman was a student, but Providence Deputy Police Chief Tim O’Hara said the suspect was a man dressed in all black and appeared to be in his 30s.

“We are using every resource possible to find this suspect,” he said.

Some witnesses reportedly told officers he may have been wearing a camouflage gray mask.

The police detained and released a person who they determined had nothing to do with the incident.

A major operation involving police and federal agents is underway in Providence, with nearly 400 officers trying to find the suspect.

Residents and students near the university were told to stay home and stay indoors or stay away until the shelter in place is lifted.

Students in the area told the BBC they planned to stay home until things calmed down and the gunman was caught.

U.S. President Donald Trump called the attack “a terrible thing,” speaking to reporters as he returned to the White House from attending the annual Army and Navy football game.

“All we can do right now is pray for the victims and those who were so seriously injured,” he said.

Additional reporting by Pratiksha Ghildial