Brown University mass shooting at Providence, Rhode Island ivy league college leaves 2 dead, 8 critically injured amid manhunt for gunman ‘dressed in all black’ who remain at large.
A mass shooting at the engineering building at Brown University at Providence, Rhode Island, Saturday afternoon has left two dead and at least eight critically injured amid reports of 20 shot and injured.
Initial reports told of an un-identified ‘masked’ gunman being taken into custody only for university officials to take back the claim, urging students on campus to exercise vigilance.
Gunfire erupted near the Barus and Holley Engineering building just on 4:22pm local time according to university officials. A follow update Saturday night cited Commander Tim O’Hara of the Providence, Rhode Island Police Department describing the alleged gunman as being a male subject dressed in black.
Brown University surveillance video shows shooter leaving engineering department amid manhunt
The reported shooting occurred near the Barus & Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the university’s School of Engineering and physics department. According to the university’s website, the building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices.
Engineering design exams were underway in the building when the shooting occurred.
Students were told to silence their phones and ‘run’ if in affected area and stay tuned for further safety information.
‘Lock doors, silence phones and stay hidden until further notice. Remember: RUN, if you are in the affected location, evacuate safely if you can; HIDE if evacuation is not possible, take cover; FIGHT as a last resort, take action to protect yourself,’ read an alert sent to students according to student newspaper, the Brown Daily Herald.
Ivy league college placed on lockdown amid manhunt for active shooter
Multiple people were seen lying on the ground by the Sciences Library and were being helped by police, the school newspaper reported.
In an update from the university at 5:11pm, officials said that a suspect was not in custody (despite initial claims) and that police were continuing to search for the shooter. Officials previously reported that a suspect was in custody earlier in the evening.
Students have been urged to remain sheltered in place as SWAT teams descended on the scene.
Several buildings across campus have been placed on lockdown.
The mother of a Brown University student shared texts from her son during today’s active shooter lockdown.
His first message read: ‘Mom, there’s a live shooting on campus, I’m going to run, I love you.’
He is now barricaded in a supply closet with 12 others—lights off, staying silent, while one classmate is having a panic attack.
🚨 DEVASTATING: The mother of a Brown University student shared chilling texts from her son during today’s active sh00ter lockdown.
His first message read: “Mom, there’s a live shooting on campus, I’m going to run, I love you.”
He is now barricaded in a supply closet with 12… pic.twitter.com/BchyOBJa9Z
— Digital Gal (@DigitalGalX) December 13, 2025
Rhode Island mass shooting comes during final week exams
Scanner traffic is still calling the Brown University incident an ‘active shooter situation.’
Commented Mari Camara, a 20-year-old junior at Brown University, who heard gunfire as she was leaving the school library, ‘I am shocked that all this is happening because nothing really ever happens in Providence.’
Brown University is an ivy league university in New England with roughly 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students. Saturday was the second day of final exams for the fall semester.
The shooting marks more than 70 school shootings this year, per the Gun Violence Archive.
