Two people were killed and nine were wounded after a shooter opened fire at Brown University on Saturday, officials said.
Two people were killed and nine were wounded after a shooter opened fire at Brown University on Saturday, officials said.
Two people were killed and eight were wounded after a shooter opened fire at Brown University on Saturday afternoon in a building where exams were taking place, according to Providence, Rhode Island, Mayor Brett Smiley and university officials.
A massive manhunt was underway for the gunman, described as wearing all black — and the community in the Ivy League campus’ area was urged to continue sheltering in place.
“The unthinkable has happened,” a somber Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee told reporters, pledging support for local authorities and the families of the victims.
What we know about the shooting
The tragedy unfolded around 4:05 p.m. when police received a call from Brown University about an active shooter incident near the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building on the campus. The university alerted students and faculty to shelter in place shortly after.
“There’s an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering. Lock doors, silence phones and stay hidden until further notice,” the notice said.
Providence Police Department Deputy Chief Timothy O’Hara said investigators are working to determine who was in the building at the time of the shooting.
“We had multiple exams scheduled in that building from 2 pm to 5 pm,” the university said in the statement.
During the press conference, officials said they could not confirm whether the shooting took place in a classroom or hallway.
An official briefed on the investigation told ABC News that preliminary information indicates that the shooting occurred in a classroom where a study group was taking place.
The deputy police chief said it was unknown how the suspect got into the building but he was seen by eyewitnesses escaping on foot through the Hope Street exit.
O’Hara said he could not provide information about the firearm that was used in the shooting, and said the weapon was not immediately recovered.
‘Deeply tragic day for Brown’
As of 7:50 p.m. the wounded victims were being treated at Rhode Island Hospital, which was also under lockdown and not admitting new ER patients, according to hospital officials.
All patients were admitted in critical but stable condition but later in the evening, one patient was upgraded to stable while another was listed as critical, the hospital said.
In a letter to the school community, the university’s president, Christina H. Paxson, did not identify the victims or their connection to the university but called them “community members.”
“This is a deeply tragic day for Brown, our families and our local community,” she wrote in the letter. There are truly no words that can express the deep sorrow we are feeling for the victims of the shooting that took place today at the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building.”
Campus remains in lockdown
Hours after the shooting, the campus area remained on lockdown and students were told to keep doors locked and not move around the campus.
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“We know our community wants answers, and we will provide them as soon as we can,” the university president said. “For now, please know we are doing all we can to keep our community safe and have mobilized support for the students and their families.”
She ended her letter, writing: “This is a day that we hoped never would come to our community. It is deeply devastating for all of us.”
President Donald Trump said he was briefed about the shooting, and said the FBI was on the scene.
“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,” Trump told reporters later Saturday evening. “It’s a shame.”
The situation remained fluid, with the university later clarifying key details about the incident.
The school initially posted an update shortly after the shooting, saying a suspect was in custody, before later saying that was not the case.
The mayor said that there was initially an individual who was “preliminarily thought to be involved,” but authorities later determined that person was not a suspect.
At about 5:30 p.m., the university said there was a report of a secondary shooting a few blocks away from the engineering building near Governor Street, but the university later said that report was unfounded.
Investigators urged anyone with information related to the shooting to call the police.
-ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud and Emily Chang contributed to this report.