PROVIDENCE — The two people killed and eight others wounded in a mass shooting in a Brown University engineering and physics building late Saturday afternoon were all students, authorities said at a second press conference Saturday night.
The number of victims also increased to nine with the news that another person received non-threatening injuries from shrapnel, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley confirmed at the media briefing that began after 9:30 p.m. at the Brook Street fire station. That victim could not be confirmed as a student at the time.
As of 10 p.m., six victims were listed in critical but stable condition at Rhode Island Hospital while one was critical and two were in stable condition, according to hospital spokesperson Kelly Brennan.
The shooting suspect remained at large, and the Brown campus remained in lockdown. Authorities announced they would release a video of the suspect, a man wearing a black hat and black jacket and pants who walked out of the Hope Street side of the Barus and Holley engineering building and took a right onto Waterman Street, Providence Police Cmdr. Tim O’Hara said.
The shooting prompted a shelter in place alert on the Ivy League campus. About 400 police officers were working in the area to assist with the investigation and the manhunt, Smiley said. Providence firefighters were deployed to locations including the Providence Place mall, the Providence Performing Arts Center and Roger Williams Park.
“We want folks who are out in the community tonight to see a person in a position of authority and to feel safe in our community,” Smiley said.
At 11:06 p.m., Brown announced that everyone still inside 15 administrative buildings on campus should continue to shelter in place until law enforcement officers arrive to escort them to a shelter outside a perimeter established around a portion of the campus. Those already in residential buildings should continue to shelter in place there.
Brown University President Christina H. Paxson was on a flight to Washington, D.C. Saturday afternoon when she received news of the incident. Paxson began making her way back to Providence and arrived in time for the 9:30 p.m. press conference.
Paxson confirmed that to her knowledge all of the originally announced 10 victims were Brown students. Paxson said the university was in contact with the families of the two deceased students.
Paxson could not confirm then what the students were doing at the time, but the university’s Provost Francis J. Doyle III said at the 6:30 press conference that final exams were scheduled between 2 and 5 p.m. in the building. Later at the third press conference of the evening, Doyle said exams that were scheduled for Sunday are canceled.
The outer doors of the building were unlocked during the exams, and the shooting took place on the first floor classroom in the building, officials said.
‘Not here’
The number of victims pushed Rhode Island into uncomfortable and uncharted territory for a blue state known for having strict gun control laws. Previously, Rhode Island had two separate shootings with five victims each, in 2021 and 2014, both in Providence according to the Gun Violence Archive. The archive, which has data going back to 2014, defines mass shootings as any incident in which four or more victims have been shot.
There were only two homicides recorded in Providence all year up through Dec. 7, according to Providence police data. There were 11 homicides last year at the same time, which is more consistent with the city’s five-year weighted average of 13 homicides per year.
“Sadly, today is a day that the city of Providence, the state of Rhode Island, prayed would never come,” Smiley said at the evening’s first press conference. “We’ve heard about horrific acts of gun violence and active shooter situations in other places, but not here.”
Smiley, who lives on the same street where the shooting took place, told reporters he was at home watching the Providence College Friars when he saw police lights fill his neighborhood, accompanied by wailing sirens.
Smiley said that there was no reason to believe that the threat expanded beyond the campus area, but the city was still concentrating the presence of law enforcement at major venues holding concerts and events in the city.
Asked by a reporter if there was reason to believe the shooter was still in the area, Smiley replied, “We don’t know.”
O’Hara said shell casings were found inside the building but had no further details. O’Hara said that police did not know what type of gun was used.
Forensic and witness evidence were being used to identify the suspect, and the police were primarily relying on video evidence at the moment, O’Hara said.
By 9:30, O’Hara added that the suspect was possibly in his 30s.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are both on the ground in Providence, O’Hara confirmed at the 9:30 press conference, and are actively involved in the investigation.
Gov. Dan McKee spoke at the first Saturday evening press briefing. “So, the unthinkable has happened,” McKee said.
At the second briefing, McKee said he had spoken by phone with President Donald Trump.
“I just received a call from the president, President Trump as well, expressing the same type of urgency and the same type of offers to respond to us in a way that we, one, keep people safe, but also, two, we’re going to make sure that we catch the individual that brought so much suffering to so many people,” McKee said.
Timeline
Providence Fire Chief Derek Silva said the fire department was first alerted about the shooting at 4:05 p.m.
Brown sent out its first emergency alert at 4:22 p.m., noting “an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering.” The alert cautioned the campus community to lock doors, silence phones and “stay hidden until further notice.” The alert also advised the options of run, hide, or, “FIGHT, as a last resort.”
An update at 4:51 p.m. noted a suspect was in custody, only to be redacted in a 5:11 p.m. update that read, “Police do not have a suspect in custody and continue to search for suspect(s).” The post also advised students to continue to shelter in place.
Smiley said at the press conference that the individual in the 4:51 p.m. update had been mistakenly connected to the incident.
At 5:27 p.m., another emergency alert reported shots fired near Governor Street. That update was also reversed at 6:10 p.m., which added that “a secondary shooting incident near Governor Street is unfounded.”
The Brown emergency updates page first confirmed that there were “multiple shooting victims” at 6:05 p.m. The university could not share their conditions at the time, but noted they were “transported to local hospitals.”
At 8:28 p.m., a university update said, “The Brown campus continues to be in lockdown, and it is imperative that all members of our community remain sheltered in place. This means keeping all doors locked and ensuring no movement across campus.”
The university posted a similar update at 9:29 p.m. and urged people on campus to keep sheltering in place.
Rescues and other apparatus from surrounding municipalities responded to the campus, including Bristol, Barrington, Central Falls, Cranston, Cumberland, Coventry, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, Scituate, Smithfield, Warwick and Woonsocket.
At 6:17 p.m., a call cleared rescues to return to their home communities.
Police seek public’s help
The third and final press conference of the night brought no major updates, and officials stressed there was still much work to be done in the investigation. They promised no more briefings for the night unless they were to provide major updates. Authorities planned to hold another briefing Sunday.
There were still no useful videos or details from inside the building or its classrooms. Smiley added that it was still unclear whether the suspect was a student or not.
Instead, officials reiterated that the city is being canvassed and under a close watch and sought to reassure residents. Smiley told people they should not cancel plans for Sunday morning out of fear.
“We know this is a scary time, but we also know that tomorrow there is some business that needs to get done,” Smiley said. “People want to take their kids to church in the morning, and we want them to feel comfortable doing so.”
Smiley said that McKee had also spoken with the head of the FBI.
“The state pledges all its resources to the city of Providence,” the governor said in his turn at the podium. “We’ll partner with our federal officials as well, to make sure that justice comes to the individual that pulled the trigger.”
The FBI has launched a website that allows for the uploading of video and images related to the Brown University shooting.
The Providence police also announced a dedicated tipline, (401) 652-5767, to report information about this incident.
Reactions from congressional delegates
All four Democratic members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation expressed concern for the students and the Brown community in statements Saturday night.
“This is a horrific, active, and unfolding tragedy and it is important that everyone listens to law enforcement as they continue working to ensure the entire campus and surrounding community is safe and this threat is neutralized,” U.S. Sen. Jack Reed said in a statement.
“We are heartbroken for the victims, their families, and all those impacted. Brown’s students and its neighbors are shaken. Some families, classmates, and loved ones are gathered together in hospital waiting rooms at this very moment waiting for updates on patients. We are with them in spirit. They will need the support of all us in the days ahead.”
U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said he is praying for the victims and their families.
“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,” U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse wrote. “We cannot thank enough the members of the Brown University Police Department, the Providence Police and Fire Departments, and all the first responders from across the state who are on the scene tonight. They put themselves in harm’s way to protect all of us.”
U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner, a Brown graduate, echoed similar sentiments on the tragic timing. “It is devastating that this tragedy struck so close to home today, targeting innocent members of the Brown Community as they prepared to head home for the holidays,” he said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo said he was praying for the swift recovery of the victims and thanked law enforcement, first responders and medical professionals who were at the crime scene.
“The scourge of mass shootings is a horrific stain on our nation,” Amo said. “We must seek policies to ensure that these tragedies do not strike yet another community and no more lives are needlessly taken from us. There are difficult days ahead, but we are stronger when we look out for one another.”