What we know so far
• At least two students were killed and nine people were injured when a shooter opened fire at Brown University, a private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island.
• Authorities say they’re still searching for the shooter, who was described as a male dressed in black and is believed to have fled on foot. Residents have been told to stay inside.
• The shooting happened at an engineering and physics building where students were taking their final exams.
• President Donald Trump says he’s been briefed on the shooting. More than 400 law enforcement officers from local, state and federal agencies, including the FBI and ATF, are in the area near the scene of the incident.
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.
"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.
Next news conference coming at 9:30 p.m. ET
Officials in Providence will gather at 9:30 p.m. ET to provide the latest update on today’s fatal shooting at Brown University, a spokesperson for the city told CNN.
Brown University student who heard gunshots says there's "chaos and a lot of fear"
Sophia Holman, a student at Brown University, was searching for a classroom to study in at the Ivy League school’s engineering building when she heard gunshots Saturday afternoon.
At first, she thought it was sound from the school’s woodshop, or an “experiment gone wrong,” she told CNN.
But then she saw someone run past her – so she started running too.
Holman ran one block east and then called police, she said. She said that campus police responded rapidly to the shooting.
Sheltering in place as police continue to search for a suspect hours after the shooting, “everyone’s pretty on edge,” Holman said.
“There’s a lot of chaos and a lot of fear right now, but I think there’s also a lot of trust, trust that they [police] were there as quickly as they were, and that, you know, the medical staff are doing everything that they can for everyone that was injured.”
Scenes from Brown University's family reunification center
Outside Brown University’s family reunification center, groups of people streamed inside in the hours after the shooting. Nine police officers stood outside the makeshift center, wearing bulletproof vests with rifles slung across their chests.
As people reached the entrance, officers inside patted them down and searched their belongings before letting them go inside.
Sen. Whitehouse thanks police, warns constituents to stay vigilant
Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse extended condolences to victims and thanked local police and first responders for their efforts in Providence as the active shooter situation near Brown University continues to evolve.
“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,” he wrote in a post on X.
While a suspect remains at large, the senator encouraged his constituents to “heed only official updates” from the university and police.
How the Brown University shooting unfolded
Brown University students have been taking shelter in campus buildings for nearly four hours following a shooting incident in an engineering and physics building where exams were ongoing.
Brown University police responded first, according to Providence Mayor Brett P. Smiley. They were “quickly assisted by Providence police, who fearlessly and courageously entered and worked through the building,” the mayor told CNN.
Police searched the engineering building but were unable to find the suspect, Providence Police Deputy Chief Tim O’Hara said at a news conference. The suspect is believed to have exited the building on Hope Street.
Two victims were dead when first responders arrived.
How the incident unfolded:
- 4:05 p.m.: The first 911 call was reported, Providence Mayor Smiley told CNN. Providence fire chief Derek Silva said his team was dispatched to the area for an active shooter at the same time.
- 4:22 p.m.: The university released its first emergency alert, saying there was “an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering.”
- 5:11 p.m.: Brown urged community members to continue to shelter in place in another emergency alert.
- 5:27 p.m.: The university reported shots fired in another location, near Governor Street. Later at 6:10 p.m. they said the reports were unfounded.
- 5:52 p.m.: The university said the situation was still ongoing.
- 6:33 p.m.: Brown announced that two people have died and eight victims were in hospital.
- 7:38 p.m.: The university was still in lockdown and urging members of the community to shelter in place and keep all doors locked.
Secret Service in Providence to provide support
United States Secret Service Director Sean Curran has instructed agency personnel in Providence to provide support after today’s shooting at Brown University.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are also assisting local law enforcement.
What we know about the Brown University shooting
At least two people were killed and eight were critically injured in a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, today.
Here’s what we know so far about the incident:
Suspect at large: The authorities are still searching for the suspect, who they describe as a male dressed in black. He is believed to have fled on foot. No weapon has been recovered.
Victims in hospital: Eight people are receiving treatment at Rhode Island Hospital. The facility said six are critical but stable, one is in critical condition, while another is stable.
Exams were ongoing: The shooting took place at Barus and Holley, a seven-story building that houses classrooms and lab space for the school’s engineering and physics departments. Students were taking their final exams at the time.
Residents told to stay inside: A shelter-in-place order has been issued for the wider Brown community, including those who live near the campus. The police urged residents to review their doorbell camera footage for “anything that looks suspicious.”
White House urges prayers: President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that the victims were “very badly hurt” and that “all we can do right now is pray.” Vice President JD Vance echoed the president’s comments, saying in a post on X, “We’re all thinking of and praying for the victims tonight.”
Individual taken into custody not the shooter, police still searching for suspect
An individual was in custody until authorities determined they were not the shooting suspect following questioning, Brown University President Christina Paxson said in a message through the school’s alert system.
The university initially said a suspect was in custody, then retracted the statement, informing the community a suspect was still at large and to remain sheltered in place.
Police are still looking for the “shooter or shooters,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said in a Saturday evening news conference.
“We continue to be in lockdown, and it is imperative that all members of our community remain sheltered in place,” Paxson said. “This means keeping all doors locked and ensuring no movement across campus.”
“Anybody could’ve accessed the building” as exterior doors were unlocked during exam period, mayor says
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,” said Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.
The shooting unfolded around 4 p.m., which was during regular hours when exams were taking place, said Smiley.
The shelter-in-place order for the broader Brown community is still in place as the location of the suspected shooter is uncertain. An “all hands on deck” manhunt is underway involving local police and university police, FBI and other agencies searching for the suspect, the mayor said.
Investigators are starting to comb through video footage pulled from throughout the area, the mayor said, adding that many surveillance cameras are around on the college campus.
Brown is an open campus in a residential neighborhood and is not a “walled off, gated campus in any way,” Smiley continued. “Everybody is understandably very anxious right now.”
At least two people were killed and eight critically wounded when a shooter opened fire during exams today at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, according to officials. Authorities say they’re still searching for the shooter, who was described as a male dressed in black, but few details were immediately available about the suspect.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Student says she heard "five or six" gunshots before sprinting to safety
One Brown University student, Katie Sun, said she was studying in the building where the shooting took place before hearing “five or six” gunshots and sprinting toward her dorm.
Sun, who is on lockdown in her room, said she left her belongings in the building before running outside with her fellow classmates.
“We run out there and like, everybody is running. It was so scary,” she said, adding, “I was thankfully able to get into my dorm safely.”
Brown shooting comes on eve of Sandy Hook anniversary
Tonight’s deadly shooting at Brown University comes on the eve of the 13th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newton, Connecticut, where six adults and 20 children were killed on December 14, 2012.
“Our hearts are with Brown University as this tragic story unfolds,” Sandy Hook Promise, the nonprofit formed after the shooting, wrote on X. “We cannot allow this to keep happening. We must #EndGunViolence.”
The shooting is the latest in a wave of school-related gun violence nationwide. More than 70 school shootings have injured hundreds of people across the United States so far this year, including a shooting at Utah Valley University that left political activist Charlie Kirk dead.
