Two Dead, Nine Injured in Brown University Shooting

Two people were killed and nine others injured Saturday after a gunman opened fire inside Brown University’s Barus & Holley building in Providence, Rhode Island, according to city officials.

The shooting occurred shortly after 4 p.m. inside a first-floor classroom of the seven-story engineering and physics building, which sits on the eastern edge of Brown’s campus. The university was in the middle of final exams, and the building’s outer doors were open at the time, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said.

Cmdr. Timothy O’Hara, deputy chief of the Providence Police Department, said the gunman entered the building and fled on foot after the shooting.

“It is unknown how he entered the building, but we do know that he exited the Hope Street side of that complex,” O’Hara said Saturday night.

Victims and Medical Response

A spokesperson for Brown University Health, which operates Rhode Island Hospital, said seven victims remained in critical condition Sunday, while one person had been stabilized. An 11th victim was identified hours after the shooting and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries caused by fragments, officials said.

Authorities have not released the identities of the victims.

Person of Interest Detained

An individual has been detained in connection with the shooting, and a shelter-in-place order for Brown’s campus and surrounding Providence neighborhoods was lifted early Sunday morning, Smiley announced.

Three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News that the person of interest is 24-year-old Benjamin Erickson. Officials said it is not yet known whether Erickson has any connection to Brown University. Investigators are also reviewing his mental health history, according to the sources.

Police have not announced charges, and authorities emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing.

Security Footage Released

Providence police released a brief piece of security video showing a person believed to be the shooter. The footage shows a man wearing dark, loose-fitting pants, a dark jacket, and possibly a knit cap walking along Hope Street and rounding a corner near a retaining wall.

The video does not clearly show the individual’s face and does not depict the shooting itself.

O’Hara previously described the suspect only as “a male dressed in black.”

Campus Locked Down for Hours

An alert posted to Brown’s emergency information website instructed students and staff to lock doors, silence phones, and remain sheltered while police searched for the suspect.

The shelter-in-place order remained in effect for several hours Saturday night. Officials initially issued an alert stating that someone had been taken into custody, then walked it back, contributing to confusion and fear across Providence, a city of about 190,000 residents.

Brown enrolls roughly 11,000 students.

Students Describe Moments of Fear

Students inside campus buildings described hiding as shots rang out.

“We decided to turn the lights off and close all the doors and hide under our desks,” Chiang-Heng Chien, a doctoral engineering student, told NBC affiliate WJAR in Providence.

Chien said police entered the building about two hours later and ordered those inside to evacuate quickly as officers cleared the area.

Officials React

Smiley, who said he lives about a block from the scene, described watching emergency vehicles race past his home as the response unfolded.

Sadly, today is a day that the city of Providence and the state of Rhode Island prayed would never come,” Smiley said. “We’ve heard about horrific acts of gun violence and active shooter situations in other places, but not here.

Brown University President Christina H. Paxson called the shooting “a deeply tragic day for Brown, our families and our local community” in a message to students and staff.

Federal Response and National Reaction

Federal authorities, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, assisted local and state agencies in the response.

Speaking to reporters Saturday night after returning to Washington, President Donald Trump addressed the attack. “What a terrible thing it is, and all we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt,” Trump said.

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee called the shooting “an unthinkable tragedy” and said the state’s thoughts were with those affected.

The investigation remains active, and officials said additional updates will be released as more information becomes available.

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