Police Search Brown University After Shooter Kills 2 And Wounds 9 On Campus

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Tragedy struck Brown University on Saturday as a shooter dressed in black claimed the lives of at least two individuals and injured nine others during final exams on the prestigious Ivy League campus. Authorities are actively searching for the suspect responsible for this heinous act.

University President Christina Paxson confirmed that among the 10 people shot, all were students except for one individual who sustained injuries from the shooting incident. The identity of this victim, whether a student or not, remains unclear.

After the shooting broke out in the afternoon, law enforcement officers scoured the campus and surrounding affluent neighborhood, combing through academic buildings, backyards, and porches for hours into the night in search of the suspect.

The suspect, described as a male wearing dark clothing, was last seen exiting the engineering building where the attack took place, according to Timothy O’Hara, deputy chief of Providence police.

Video footage from the building captured the suspect leaving, although his face was not visible. Some witnesses suggested that the suspect, possibly in his 30s, may have been wearing a camouflage mask.

Authorities are still investigating how the shooter gained access to the first-floor classroom. While the outer doors of the building were unlocked, rooms being used for final exams required badge access, as per the mayor of Providence.

Law enforcement officials believe the shooter used a handgun, as per an anonymous source familiar with the ongoing investigation.

Rhode Island boasts stringent gun laws in the U.S., with a recent ban on assault weapons passed by the Democratic-controlled Legislature. The ban, effective from next July, prohibits the sale and manufacturing of certain high-powered firearms.

Expressing his shock and grief, Democratic Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee pledged to deploy all available resources to capture the suspect.

Mayor Brett Smiley advised residents near the campus to remain indoors due to an ongoing shelter-in-place order. The usually vibrant city streets were eerily quiet as the community grappled with the tragic events.

Reflecting on the incident, Smiley remarked, “The Brown community’s heart is breaking, and Providence’s heart is breaking along with it.”