A Tragic Event at Brown University
On Saturday, more than 400 law enforcement personnel were deployed in an effort to locate the suspect involved in a shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island. This tragic incident resulted in the deaths of two students and left nine others injured at the prestigious Ivy League institution, according to officials.
The Providence university remained under lockdown for several hours after a suspect armed with a firearm entered a building where students were taking exams. The streets surrounding the campus were filled with emergency vehicles for hours following the shooting, and security measures were significantly increased throughout the city as law enforcement agencies continued their search for the individual.
Despite these efforts, the suspect was still at large, as police collaborated with agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to search the streets and buildings near the campus. Providence Deputy Police Chief Timothy O’Hara confirmed that the suspect had not yet been identified.
Officials indicated they would release a video featuring the suspect, a male possibly in his 30s and dressed in black, who may have been wearing a mask. O’Hara mentioned that officials had collected shell casings from the scene but were not prepared to share further details at this time.
The gunman reportedly escaped after shooting students in Brown’s Barus & Holley engineering building, where the outer doors were unlocked during the exam period.
“We are a week and a half away from Christmas. And two people died today,” said Providence Mayor Brett Smiley earlier in the evening. “So please pray for those families.”
Seven of the nine wounded individuals were listed as critical, according to Brown University Health. Located on College Hill in Rhode Island’s state capital, Brown University encompasses hundreds of buildings, including lecture halls, laboratories, and dormitories. Local officials believe the suspect fled along a normally busy street filled with restaurants and coffee shops.
“This is the day one hopes never happens, and it has,” said Brown’s President Christina Paxson, confirming that all or nearly all of the victims were students.
Students Shelter in Place
As news of the shooting spread, the school instructed students to shelter in place. Brown student Chiang-Heng Chien shared with local TV station WJAR that he was working in a lab with three other students when he received a text about the active shooter situation a block away. They remained under desks for approximately two hours, he explained.
Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee pledged that the shooter would be brought to justice. “We’re going to make sure that we catch the individual that brought so much suffering to so many people.”
The search for the suspect was complicated by the presence of holiday shoppers and thousands of people attending concerts and events on a weekend night, according to local officials. Federal law enforcement and police from surrounding cities and towns were assisting in the search, as reported by local news outlets. Venues across the city were increasing their security measures.
Police were reviewing videos and seeking information from witnesses or anyone else who might have relevant details in their search for the suspect. “Some tips have been coming in. We have been running them down,” O’Hara said. “None of them have worked out for us yet.”
President Donald Trump addressed the situation at the White House, stating that he had been briefed on the incident, which he described as “terrible.” “All we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt.”
Context of Gun Violence in the United States
Compared to many countries, mass shootings in schools, workplaces, and places of worship are more common in the U.S., which has some of the most permissive gun laws in the developed world. According to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as any incident in which four or more victims have been shot, there have been 389 such incidents this year in the U.S., including at least six at schools. Last year, the U.S. recorded more than 500 mass shootings, according to the archive.