Police gathered outside the entrance to Brown University in Providence, RI, as they investigate a shooting Saturday afternoon that left at least two people dead.
Mark Stockwell/AP/FR171920 AP
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Mark Stockwell/AP/FR171920 AP
Two people are dead, eight are in critical but stable condition and one has non-life-threatening injuries following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, R.I., Saturday afternoon, authorities said. The suspect is still absconding.
Officers are searching for a suspect, described as “a male wearing black clothing,” Deputy Police Chief Timothy O’Hara said during a news conference in the evening.
The shelter-in-place order remains active for the university and surrounding areas.
The shooting occurred at about 4 p.m. ET outside the Baras and Holley Building, which houses the School of Engineering and Physics departments. Brown University Provost Francis Doyle said final exams were taking place in the building at the time of the shooting.
The suspect ran out the door on the Hope Street side of the building and fled on foot, O’Hara said, but it’s not clear how he got inside. Police also released a short video of the suspected shooter leaving the building where the shooting occurred, the mayor said, which does not show his face.
He said that the police are not aware of any sighting of any suspect since then.
The two victims died at the scene, city fire chief Derek Silva said. An additional eight injured victims are being treated at Rhode Island Hospital, about two miles from the university campus.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley announced at a news conference Saturday evening that another person injured in the shooting has been identified. The ninth wounded man left the scene and was not hit by a direct gunshot, but he was hit by a “fragment”, the mayor said, adding that his injury was “non-life threatening”. It was unclear whether the ninth victim was hospitalized.
President Trump said Saturday night that he had been briefed about the shooting.
In this video image, law enforcement officers gather outside the Brown University campus in Providence, RI, on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025.
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Kimberly Crusie/AP
“What a terrible thing this is,” the president told reporters in brief remarks. “All we can do right now is pray for the victims.”
When asked about campus security, Provost Doyle said at the press conference that cards are swiped to access the building, but there was “probably a lot of traffic” during the exam, adding that the exam took place between 2 pm and 5 pm.
“We are using every possible resource to locate the suspect,” O’Hara said.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said the university, police and the FBI are coordinating an active investigation.
“Sadly, today is the day that the city of Providence and the state of Rhode Island prayed would never come,” Smiley told reporters.
City and university police are encouraging witnesses to come forward with any information related to the investigation.
There was confusion on the first day as to whether the shooter was in custody or not. Brown officials, followed by media reports as well as President Trump, initially said that a suspect was in custody, later announcing that this was not accurate.
“While (Brown University’s Department of Public Safety) was informed at one point that there was an individual in custody, after questioning that individual was not considered a shooting suspect,” the university said in a Saturday night update through its emergency alert system.
Authorities have not yet released details about the identities of the victims, nor about the suspect, if known. But Brown officials described the two people who died as members of the community, and said they were working with local hospitals to identify other known victims.
It urged its students and faculty to remain vigilant and heed the shelter-in-place order. “This means keeping all doors closed and ensuring no movement throughout the campus,” it said.
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