What we know so far
• Brown University confirmed that the two killed and nine injured in a campus shooting incident were all students. The attack happened during a final exam review session at the private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island.
• The suspect, who was described as wearing dark clothing and estimated to be in his 30s, is still at large. Law enforcement officers are evacuating people in the area and residents have been told to stay inside.
• The FBI and Providence police are seeking information on the suspect from members of the public. More than 400 law enforcement officers from local, state and federal agencies are in the area near the scene of the attack. President Donald Trump says he’s been briefed on the shooting.
Brown University president says shooting victims were all students
All of the people killed or injured in Saturday’s shooting at Brown University were students, President Christina H. Paxson said in an email to the community, calling it an “unimaginably tragic day.”
Police were still working to clear students from campus buildings early Sunday, as the shooter remained on the loose, Paxson said.
“Providence Police have advised that our campus must remain on lockdown. It is an active police scene, and the priority is to keep everyone safe.”
Paxson also provided an update on the injured. One has been treated and released from the hospital. As for the students still in hospital, six were in critical but stable condition, one was in critical condition and one was in stable condition.
All exams that were meant to take place on Sunday will be rescheduled, the message said.
“I want to thank every member of our community for every kindness, shoulder to lean on, and gesture of support that I know will come in the hours and days ahead as we work together as a community to be there for one another,” Paxson added.
Brown University student who witnessed Parkland shooting says “it feels like 2018 again”
Brown University sophomore Zoe Weissman, who witnessed the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, told CNN she’s angry to be enduring another campus shooting.
In an interview with CNN’s Jim Sciutto late Saturday, Weissman described a mix of anger and shock as the situation at Brown unfolded.
“I think the sadness will set in when we get all the victims identified and find out who we lost as a community,” Weissman said. “But right now, I’m just angry that there are kids like me in this country who have had to go through this not once, but twice.”
Weissman placed blame on “congressional inaction” in addressing gun violence.
“I think that we’ve seen time and time again that Congress has failed to show they actually care about their constituents,” she said. “If they did, they would immediately pass comprehensive gun violence prevention bills.”
The tragedy resurfaced painful memories and emotions from 2018, Weissman said, prompting her to immediately called her mother, just as she did during the Parkland attack.
“It feels like I’m 12 again,” she added. “It feels like it’s 2018 again for my family as well. We’re going through the exact same emotions.”
When asked how her classmates at Brown are coping, Weissman said many have turned to her for guidance on navigating the trauma.
“A lot of them have actually been reaching out to me for advice on how to deal with something like this, which is crazy that I have that experience, the ability to do that,” she said.
“Everyone’s been checking in with each other, making sure everyone is physically safe,” she said. “I think the aftermath is going to come soon after it’s over.”
Correction: An earlier version of this post named the wrong school in the 2018 shooting incident. It was Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Students brace for overnight lockdown amid search for shooter
Brown University student Lydell Dyer was working in the school’s gym when he received a notification warning of an active shooter at 4:22 p.m.
Dyer said the university updates have been “pretty vague,” and so students have been relying on other students for more information about the surrounding area.
“I know a lot of people who are near the scene, and so I think most of the information we’re getting is from students internally,” he said.
At the time of the interview, Dyer said he has no sense of when the gym will be cleared.
“I think most of us are kind of expecting that we’ll be here for most of the night,” he said.
Brown posts map of perimeter under lockdown
People inside residential buildings within a cordoned-off perimeter on Brown’s campus have been told to remain sheltered in place until authorities escort them to a safe location, according to an alert on the university’s website at 11:06p.m.
“Police will enter all administrative (non-residential) buildings within the perimeter marked by the red boxes on the map to escort all individuals to safe locations outside of the perimeter,” the alert read.
“For all locations (inside and outside the perimeter), the shelter in place remains ongoing — unless escorted by a law enforcement officer, this means ensuring no movement across or near campus.”
As of 2 a.m., law enforcement officers were still working to evacuate people from administrative buildings, according to the university in a later alert.
This post has been updated with new information.
The Brown University shooting suspect is still at large. Here's the latest
A gunman opened fire at Brown University Saturday afternoon, killing at least two students. Authorities are still looking for the suspect.
Here are the latest developments:
New details about suspected gunman emerge: A man believed to be the suspect, described as wearing dark clothing and estimated to be in his 30s, was seen on video walking down Hope Street, near where the attack took place. Witnesses reported he may have worn a gray camouflage mask, police said.
Residents told to continue to stay inside: A shelter-in-place order remains for residents in and around the Brown University campus. The police will enter some non-residential buildings to escort people to safe locations, said the university in an alert just past 11 p.m.
More law enforcement: There will be enhanced law enforcement presence around town on Sunday, said Providence Mayor Brett Smiley. He also said he “does not recommend” residents cancel their weekend plans while the search for the suspect is ongoing.
Campus classrooms cleared: Officers have searched some of the buildings in the surrounding area of Brown University and cleared the classrooms where students had barricaded themselves to ensure their safety.
Most victims were students: The two people who died in the attack and eight of the injured were students. Nine patients were admitted into Rhode Island Hospital with gun-related injuries.
Building safety to be reviewed: The authorities will debrief at a later stage to look at whether Brown University’s buildings were safe enough after the mayor said the exterior doors of the building where the shooting took place were unlocked at the time.
FBI launches tip site as suspect remains at large
The FBI has launched a tip site for members of the public to submit photo and video evidence they may have of the Brown University shooting suspect, who is still at large.
The Providence police also launched a phone number for people to submit tip offs.
“We have shared an image of the individual we believe to be the shooter, but we know that there wasn’t a clear shot of the face,” said Providence mayor Brett Smiley at a Saturday night press conference.
Holiday events, church can go ahead as planned, Providence mayor says
As a manhunt for the Brown University shooter continues into the night, Providence mayor Brett Smiley said he is “not recommending” residents cancel their weekend plans.
In a press conference late Saturday, Smiley acknowledged that with roughly a week until Christmas, residents may have commitments to shows, holiday parties, and church.
“We do believe you can safely go to church in the morning,” he said.
Surveillance video shows suspect in Brown University shooting leaving the area
Surveillance video released by police shows a man investigators believe is the suspected shooter as he leaves the Barus and Holley building, Providence Deputy Police Chief Timothy O’Hara said.
“It’s of who we believe is the suspect leaving that area walking on Hope Street and taking a right on Waterman. He’s going to be wearing dark clothing. You are not going to be able to see his face,” O’Hara said of the video.
The seven-story Barus and Holley building, which houses classrooms and lab space for the engineering and physics departments, is on the east of Brown University’s campus.
Brown student describes daunting hours under lockdown in school library
Brown student Ethan Schenker was studying for final exams in the basement of a campus library when he received a text from the university calling all students to go into lockdown.
“I immediately just called my parents and my brother to let them know I was okay and to make sure my friends were okay,” he told CNN’s Jim Sciutto. “It didn’t seem real. I think that’s what a lot of people experience and that’s what I did.”
Schenker described the hours in lockdown as startling, saying everyone in the library was “very on edge” as law enforcement cleared every classroom and patrolled the building.
“We were kind of discussing, ‘Do you ask police for their ID number? How do you approach this?’ I mean, we didn’t really know,” he said.
“There are some students here…they’re international students. They didn’t grow up doing drills and lockdown drills.”
Nine patients admitted to Rhode Island Hospital with gunshot injuries
Nine patients have been admitted into Rhode Island Hospital with gun-related injuries as the active shooter remains at large.
Six patients are in critical but stable condition, while one is in critical condition, the hospital said in a statement to CNN. Two patients are in stable condition.
The hospital is currently on lockdown but is still accepting patients in its emergency department, the statement read. “Rhode Island Hospital will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.”
The Miriam Hospital, also in Providence and affiliated with Brown University, has not received any patients.
Today's attack marks Rhode Island’s first school shooting since at least 2008, according to CNN database
The mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday was the first school shooting in Rhode Island since at least 2008, when CNN began its school shooting database.
There have been over 70 school shootings in the United States so far this year.
At least two students were killed in the attack and nine people wounded. The police are still searching for the suspect, and the campus is still on lockdown hours after the shooting first occurred.
Shooting began during final exam review session for Principles of Economics class, professor tells NYT
The shooting at Brown University started to unfold in a classroom where a Principles of Economics final exam review session was taking place, the class’ professor Rachel Friedberg told the New York Times.
CNN has contacted Friedberg for comment but did not immediately hear back.
A student in that class, Martyna Kaps, wrote in messages to the Brown Daily Herald that she was leaving a 2p.m. to 4p.m. review session for Principles of Economics today when she heard “loud bangs” and saw students running from the classroom.
“There were still people in the classroom,” Kaps told the Herald. “From what I heard, many of them dove behind the teacher’s desk and hid there to avoid the bullets.”
CNN has reported the shooting took place while students were taking their final exams at the seven-story building that houses classrooms and lab space for the school’s engineering and physics departments. The classroom identified by the Herald, Barus and Holley 166, is listed as having the capacity for 186 people on Brown’s website.
"Scared for their lives": Freshman recalls evacuating from building near scene of shooting
Freshman Shiney Mayanja evacuated from a building near the scene of the Brown University shooting at around 5pm ET on Saturday.
She was with three friends studying for their final exams in a small room when they heard about the shooting.
In this video which she filmed, a police officer can be heard asking, “Did you hear anything? Did you see anything?” They respond “no.”
The police appeared to usher them outside and told them to “go,” but Mayanja said it wasn’t clear where they were supposed to go. They went to a different building to shelter with other students.
“We didn’t really think about this seriously until we saw more messages and saw people running outside. We saw the cop lights. Then we knew,” Mayanja said.
The group said they were not sure if they heard shots. They received an alert about the incident while they were studying in the room, and they barricaded the door with a table and turned the lights off.
Mayanja told CNN that they were “scared for their lives.”
“This very much puts into perspective how much you need to value your life because you’d think nothing would happen here. It’s Brown,” she said.
“And you know, we’re going home next week, finals are almost over, but two people are now dead around Christmas time. So it’s just very much heartbreaking to see and it’s hard to process.”
Investigators have shell casings from shooting scene as evidence, mayor says
Investigators have retrieved shell casings from the scene of the Brown University shooting as evidence, said Providence Mayor Brett Smiley at a news conference.
“Yes, it’s shell casings, but we’re not going to release any specific information about that type of evidence,” said Smiley when asked by a reporter about the investigation.
Suspect is seen on video walking down street, police official says
Law enforcement officials said at a news conference Saturday evening that the shooting suspect is seen on video walking down Hope Street, where the shooting took place.
He is wearing dark clothing and is estimated to be in his 30s. The suspect’s face is not visible, and witnesses say he may have worn a gray camouflage mask, Providence Deputy Police Chief Timothy O’Hara said.
Officials said the video will be released shortly.
Police do not yet have video of the suspect from inside Brown University’s Barus and Holley building during the shooting.
Two deceased and 8 injured victims were students, school president says
Most of the victims in today’s shooting were students, including two who have died and eight others who are injured, Brown University President Christina Paxson said at a Saturday evening news conference.
“Our focus right now is on supporting the families who have been affected by this, families of the two students who sadly lost their lives today,” as well as the eight other students who are in the hospital, she said
A ninth individual was also injured, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said. They left the scene before realizing they had “received fragments from the shooting that occurred near them,” and are expected to fully recover.
Officers have cleared classrooms where students were barricaded
Officers have searched some of the buildings in the surrounding area of Brown University as they continue to search for the shooting suspect and cleared the classrooms where students had barricaded themselves to ensure their safety, said Providence Deputy Police Chief Timothy O’Hara.
Over 400 law enforcement officers currently in the area of shooting, mayor says
Over 400 law enforcement officers from various local, state and federal agencies are currently in the Providence area surrounding the site of the Brown University shooting, Mayor Brett Smiley said at a news conference Saturday night.
Fire departments and officers from the FBI, the ATF and many communities around Rhode Island have assisted in the investigation and “to ensure the safety of the Providence community,” the mayor said.
Officials have no reason to believe there are any additional threats to the community at this time and any 911 calls received in the last several hours have been unrelated to the shooting, Smiley added.
Authorities will review whether campus buildings were safe enough, governor says
The Rhode Island governor said authorities will debrief at a later stage to look at whether Brown University campus buildings were safe enough after the Providence mayor said the exterior doors of the building where the shooting took place were unlocked at the time.
“Everything needs to be looked at on a daily basis and we do that, and we prepare for emergencies,” said Gov. Daniel McKee. “This is no exception… Until we actually know more, it’s difficult to make comment in terms of whether the situation was as safe as it should be, but we’ll follow up.”
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley earlier told CNN the exterior doors of Brown University’s Barus and Holley building were unlocked during the time of the shooting because exams were taking place, so “anybody could have accessed the building at that time.”
McKee said he’s in contact with the White House and the FBI as well as other governors who are providing support and resources in identifying and locating the shooter. A host of local, state and federal agencies are involved in the manhunt.
Speaking about his call with Kash Patel, McKee said the FBI director made it “very clear that whatever resources they have at the FBI at the moment to apprehend this shooter, identify this shooter and get the shooter in custody, that they are going to be working with us.”
The state is providing services for mental health and recovery in the wake of the tragedy, McKee said, adding: “I just go back to how this is impacting families in a way that it’s going to impact their lives forever, and we know that.”
Brown University campus still under lockdown hours after shooting
More than four hours after the shooting incident, Brown University remains under lockdown, said the university. Law enforcement response “remains ongoing” as of 8:30p.m., it added.
