Police are searching for a gunman who shot dead two students and injured nine others at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The attacker was reported to be a man dressed in all black who fled the scene on foot, prompting a shelter-in-place order in the surrounding area. The incident marks a grim addition to the ongoing issue of gun violence in the US, which has now seen 389 mass shootings this year alone, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The shooting occurred around 4:00 PM local time in the Holley engineering building, where final exams were underway. Eyewitness accounts describe chaos as the gunman entered the classroom, shouted something, and opened fire, leading to students attempting to escape and hide.
As investigations continue, the identities of the two deceased students and the nine injured individuals have yet to be disclosed. Authorities confirmed that one person remains in critical condition while six others are stable.
Watch: Police have released CCTV footage of the suspect, who remains unidentified but is described as being in his 30s and wearing a camouflage grey mask. Efforts to locate him involve around 400 officers as the community is urged to stay safe indoors until further notice.
Brown University, an Ivy League institution, is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and serves over 11,000 students. University President Christina Paxson has expressed her condolences, emphasizing the deep devastation this event has caused among faculty, staff, and students.
