PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Hundreds of police officers are scouring the Brown University campus and nearby communities and poring over video in pursuit of a gunman who opened fire in a classroom, killing two people and wounding nine others.
A shooting occurred Saturday afternoon during final exams at an Ivy League engineering building in Providence, Rhode Island, and a search continued late into the night.
Surveillance video released by the police showed the suspect, dressed in black, leaving the scene calmly. His face could not be seen, and investigators said it was unclear whether the suspect was a student.
Providence Police Deputy Chief Timothy O’Hara said the suspect was last seen leaving the engineering building, and some witnesses told police the suspect may be in his 30s and may be wearing a camouflage mask.
University President Christina Paxson said she was told the 10 people shot were students. Another person was wounded by gunfire fragments, she said, but it was unclear whether the victim was a student.
The search for the gunman paralyzed the campus, nearby neighborhoods of stately brick homes and downtown Rhode Island’s capital. The usually bustling streets on weekends were eerily quiet.
Students sheltered in place for hours into the night. Officers in tactical gear led students out of some campus buildings and into the fitness center where they waited. Others arrived at the shelter by bus without jackets or belongings.
Mayor advises people to stay home
Investigators don’t yet know how the gunman gained access to the first-floor classroom. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said the building’s exterior doors were unlocked, but the room used for final exams required badges to enter.
He encouraged people who live near campus to stay indoors or not go home until shelter-in-place orders are lifted.
“The hearts of the Brown community are broken, and the hearts of Providence are broken with it,” Smiley said.
A law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity said authorities believe the shooter used a handgun.
Democratic Gov. Dan McKee vowed to use all resources to catch the suspects. Rhode Island has some of the strictest gun laws in the U.S.
Nine people with gunshot wounds were taken to Rhode Island Hospital, one of whom was in critical condition. Six of the people required intensive care but did not deteriorate and two were in stable condition, hospital spokesperson Kelly Brennan said.
An exam was taking place during the filming
The shooting occurred as engineering design exams were being conducted at the Barus & Holley Building, a seven-story complex that houses the School of Engineering and the Department of Physics. The building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices, according to the university’s website.
Emma Ferraro, a chemical engineering student, was working on her final project in the building’s lobby when she heard a loud explosion coming from the east side. When she realized it was a gunshot, she rushed for the door and ran to a nearby building, where she hid for several hours.
Former ‘Survivor’ contestant just left the building
Eva Erickson, a doctoral student who was runner-up on the CBS reality competition show “Survivor” earlier this year, said she left her lab in the engineering building 15 minutes before the shots rang out.
The engineering and thermal science major shared a candid moment on “Survivor” as the show’s first openly autistic contestant. After the shooting, she was locked inside the campus gym and shared on social media that the only other members of her lab present had safely evacuated.
Alex Bruce, a senior biochemistry student at Brown University, was working on a final research project in a dormitory across the street from the building when he heard a siren outside.
“I’m just shaking here,” he said, watching through the window as armed police surrounded his dormitory.
Students hide under desks
Chiangheng Chien, an engineering doctoral student about a block from the scene, said students in a nearby lab turned off their lights and hid under their desks after being alerted about the shooting.
Mari Camara, 20, a junior from New York City, was emerging from the library and rushed into a taqueria to seek shelter. She stayed there for more than three hours, texting friends while police searched the campus.
“Everyone is as shocked and horrified as I am that something like this happened,” she said.
Brown University is the seventh oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the most prestigious colleges in the United States, with approximately 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students. Tuition, room and board and other fees approach $100,000 per year, according to the university.
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Associated Press reporters Alanna Durkin Richer, Mike Balsamo and Seung Min Kim in Washington, Hannah Schoenbaum (Salt Lake City), Jack Dura (Bismarck, North Dakota), Martha Bellisle (Seattle) and John Seewer (Toledo, Ohio) contributed.
