Gunman Opens Fire at Brown University Exams, Killing 2 Students and Injuring 9
A gunman opened fire during exams at Brown University on December 13, 2025, killing two students, injuring nine others, and prompting a large manhunt and campus lockdown as authorities continue to search for the suspect.
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Two students were killed and nine people were injured when a gunman opened fire during exams at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday, December 13, 2025, prompting a massive police manhunt and hours-long campus lockdown apnews +1. Eight of the wounded were reported in critical but stable condition late Saturday, with one person treated for non-life-threatening injuries npr +1.
The shooting occurred in or near the Barus and Holley engineering building, where students were taking final exams, shortly after midday local time, according to university officials and local police apnews +1. Authorities said the suspect, described as a male dressed in black, fled the scene on foot and remained at large as of Saturday night npr +1.
How the Brown University shooting unfolded
Police and campus security received reports of an active shooter at Brown around early afternoon, triggering an immediate shelter-in-place order for the Ivy League campus and surrounding neighborhood in Providence’s East Side apnews +1. Students and staff barricaded themselves in classrooms, labs and dorm rooms as officers went door to door searching buildings cbsnews +1.
Officials said the shooter targeted the Barus and Holley engineering complex, where multiple victims were found in hallways and common areas npr +1. Two students were pronounced dead at the scene or shortly after arriving at local hospitals, while emergency responders transported nine others to area trauma centers npr +1.
By early evening, Providence police, Rhode Island State Police and federal agents had established a wide security perimeter, including highway checkpoints and searches of nearby properties, but said there was no evidence of an ongoing threat beyond the initial attack pbs +1.
Manhunt, suspect search and campus security questions
Investigators released surveillance images showing a figure in dark clothing and a hood or cap moving near the engineering building minutes before the shooting, asking the public for help identifying the suspect pbs +1. Officials did not disclose whether they believed the gunman had a connection to the university, and said they had not established a motive npr +1.
Brown University extended its lockdown for several hours while law enforcement swept academic buildings and dormitories; late Saturday, the school announced that in-person exams and events were suspended until at least Monday and that counseling and crisis services would be available around the clock indianacapitalchronicle +1. “The unthinkable has happened,” a Rhode Island news outlet wrote, as local leaders urged residents to stay indoors and avoid the College Hill area while the search continued bbc.
The attack added to ongoing national debates over campus security and gun violence. Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, speaking on local television as helicopters hovered over Providence, said the rapid lockdown and coordinated response likely “saved additional lives,” but warned that open urban campuses remain difficult to secure fully pbs. State officials said they would review Brown’s emergency protocols and coordinate with other colleges in Rhode Island in the coming days justice +1.
Community grief and what comes next
Vigils were quickly organized by students and local faith groups for Saturday night and Sunday, though some events were postponed or moved online due to security concerns nytimes +1. University leaders said they would hold a formal memorial for the two slain students once families consented to the release of their names, which officials were still withholding pending notification cbsnews +1.
Classes were expected to remain disrupted into next week as investigators reconstructed the timeline of the shooting, combed through digital evidence and interviewed witnesses npr +1. Authorities urged anyone with video from inside or near Barus and Holley between late morning and early afternoon Saturday to contact a dedicated FBI tip line supporting the case pbs +1.
Law enforcement officials said they planned to provide another public update on the manhunt and victims’ conditions on Sunday, December 14, as Providence and the Brown community confronted the aftermath of one of the deadliest campus shootings in Rhode Island’s history apnews +1.