Brown University on lockdown after shooter kills multiple people during exams

Providence, Rhode Island - A gunman killed two people and wounded nine others on Saturday at Brown University, plunging the campus into lockdown as hundreds of police officers hunted the suspect late into the night.

A shooter opened fire on Brown University campus during exams, killing at least two people and injuring multiple others.  © REUTERS

The streets around the university in Providence, Rhode Island were filled with emergency vehicles hours after the gunfire at a building where exams were taking place.

Witness Katie Sun told the Brown Daily Herald student newspaper she was studying in a nearby building when she heard gunfire. She ran to her dorm, leaving all her belongings behind.

"It was honestly quite terrifying. The shots seemed like they were coming from... where the classrooms are," she said.

Murder Brown University shooting: Police issue update on "person of interest" in manhunt

Hours after the shooting, the gunman was still at large, and some 400 police ranging from FBI agents to campus cops swarmed the quaint New England campus.

"I can confirm that there are two individuals who have died this afternoon, and there are another eight in critical status, though stable," Providence, Rhode Island Mayor Brett Smiley told a news conference.

A ninth person who "received fragments from the shooting" was later taken to the hospital, authorities said.

Police released ten seconds of footage of the suspect walking briskly down a deserted street, seen from behind after opening fire inside a first-floor classroom.

University officials stressed that the campus was still in lockdown as midnight approached.

Ten of the 11 victims were students, Brown University President Christina Paxson said in a late night briefing.

"My heart breaks for the students who were looking forward to a holiday break and instead are dealing with another horrifying mass shooting," Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse posted on X.

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Police hunt for suspect dressed in all black

Police are still searching for the suspected gunman, who was caught on camera dressed in all black.  © via REUTERS

The shooting took place at the Barus and Holley building, home to the engineering and physics departments, on the campus of the Ivy League university.

Two exams had been scheduled to take place in the building at the time of the shooting, the university said.

Law enforcement described the suspect as a man dressed all in black.

"We're utilizing every resource possible to find this suspect. The shelter in place is still in order and I urge people to take that very seriously. Please do not come to the area," Deputy Police Chief Timothy O'Hara said.

The gunman was last seen leaving the building, and no weapon had been recovered, authorities said.

Law enforcement and first responders swarmed the scene, with local news station WPRI reporting clothing and blood on the sidewalk.

The FBI was providing "all capabilities necessary," Director Kash Patel said on X.

Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also responding.

President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the shooting, and corrected himself after falsely claiming in an initial social media post that the suspect was in custody.

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