Two people were killed and nine others were injured Saturday afternoon in a shooting outside Brown University’s Barus and Holley building in Providence, R.I., authorities said. The suspect remains at large and is described by Deputy Police Chief Timothy O’Hara as “a male dressed in black.”
The shooting occurred around 4 p.m. ET near the building that houses the School of Engineering and the Physics Department. Brown University Provost Francis Doyle said final exams were underway in the building between about 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. when the incident happened.
Providence Fire Chief Derek Silva said the two people who died were pronounced at the scene. Eight of the wounded were being treated in critical but stable condition at Rhode Island Hospital, roughly two miles from campus. A ninth person suffered a non-life-threatening injury from a fragment, left the scene, and it was unclear whether that person was later hospitalized, Mayor Brett Smiley said.
Police said the suspect fled on foot, exiting through doors on the Hope Street side of the building. Officials released a short video showing the suspected shooter leaving the building, but the mayor said the footage does not reveal his face. Authorities reported no confirmed sightings of the suspect since he fled and said they are “utilizing every resource possible to find the suspect.”
A shelter-in-place order remained in effect for the university and nearby areas while city and university police, with assistance from the FBI, coordinated the active investigation. The university urged students and faculty to keep doors locked and avoid moving across campus. Officials asked witnesses to come forward.
There was initial confusion about whether a suspect had been detained: Brown officials and some media outlets briefly reported a person had been taken into custody, but the university later said that individual was questioned and determined not to be the shooter. President Trump said he had been briefed, called the shooting “a terrible thing” and urged prayers for the victims.
Provost Doyle noted that access to the building normally requires card swipes but acknowledged there was likely heavier traffic while exams were in session. Authorities have not released the identities of the victims or provided further details about a possible suspect. Mayor Smiley said, “Sadly, today is a day that the city of Providence and the state of Rhode Island prayed would never come.”