Two people were killed while eight others were critically injured on Saturday afternoon after a shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island, authorities said.
Rhode Island Mayor Brett Smiley told reporters during a Saturday evening news conference that the incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. local time at the Barus & Holley engineering building.
Smiley said the eight injured victims were taken to Rhode Island Hospital in “critical but stable” condition.
“Those are the only injuries or casualties that we know at this time,” Smiley said, adding that “these numbers may change, we are still in early hours.”
The university confirmed that final examinations were ongoing in the building at the time of the shooting.
According to Smiley, no arrests have been made, while a shelter-in-place order remains in effect for the Brown University area. Providence Deputy Police Chief Tim O’Hara said no weapons have been recovered.
O’Hara said the suspect, who is still at large, is described as a male dressed in black who fled the building via the Hope Street side. How the suspect gained entry into the building remains unclear.
Although the building has been cleared, officials said the suspect was not found.
“If you live on or near Brown’s campus, we are urging you to stay home and stay inside,” Smiley said.
A university alert instructed students to lock their doors, silence their phones and remain hidden until further notice.
Brown University public safety officials initially reported that a suspect was in custody but later withdrew the claim.
“There was an individual who was preliminary thought to be involved, but was later determined to have no involvement,” Smiley said.
United States President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he had been briefed on the incident.
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“God bless the victims and the families of the victims!” Mr Trump said. He initially stated that a suspect was in custody but later clarified in a follow-up post: “The Brown University Police reversed their previous statement — The suspect is NOT in custody.”
The FBI said in a statement to CBS News that it was assisting “our law enforcement partners in Rhode Island with any and all available resources.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also announced on X that it was deploying agents to the university.
“The unthinkable has happened,” Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee said at the news conference.
(CBS News)