Two people have died and nine others are injured after a mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday, Mayor Brett Smiley announced.
Smiley made the announcement at a press conference alongside state officials including Gov. Brad McKee (D-RI), who called the shooting “unthinkable.” Eight of the injured are in critical, but stable condition, according to the university. A ninth individual was later reported injured by bullet fragments, though they are expected to fully recover.
The two individuals killed were Brown students, while at least eight of the injured are also students at the Ivy League school.
A manhunt has been underway for the suspected shooter, with more than 400 law enforcement officers, including FBI and ATF agents, on the ground. Little detail was given by officials about the suspect beyond that he is a male dressed in black clothing and is believed to have fled on foot.
Video of the suspect was later released. He is seen walking on side streets near campus dressed in dark clothing and a beanie, with his right arm tucked in front of him. His face is not visible.
Police have not recovered a weapon from the scene but did find shell casings. Smiley declined to go into specifics about the casings.
The shooting happened in a classroom on the first floor of the Barus and Holley building on campus shortly after 4 p.m. Eastern time. The seven-story building houses Brown’s engineering and physics department, and University Provost Francis J. Doyle III confirmed that students there were in the middle of final exams. Officials said the exterior doors of the building were unlocked due to the exam period.
But pressed by a reporter on what was going on in the classroom before the gunman entered and opened fire, University President Christina Paxson said, “I don’t know.”
The university and the surrounding neighborhood remain on lockdown more than six hours after the shooting, as the law enforcement response is “ongoing,” the school said in an update on Saturday night.
President Donald Trump was briefed on the shooting earlier Saturday, later lamenting it to reporters outside the White House.
“I’ve been fully briefed on the Brown University situation, what a terrible thing it is, and all we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt it looks like,” the president said. “We’ll inform you later as to what’s happening, but it’s a shame.”
McKee also said Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel both called him to offer any assistance needed to catch the gunman.
Lawmakers poured in with statements reacting to the news.
“Terrible news out of Rhode Island this evening,” Vice President JD Vance said in a statement. “We’re all monitoring the situation and the FBI stands ready to do anything to help. We’re all thinking of and praying for the victims tonight.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) also said he is “praying for the safety of students and law enforcement” at Brown.
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“May God protect everyone affected and bring comfort to their families and loved ones,” he added.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he is “heartbroken” by the Brown shooting and called for Congress to “do more to stop this senseless gun violence.”
, 2025-12-13 22:01:00, 
, Washington Examiner, %%https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon.png?w=32, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Zach LaChance
