A tragic shooting occurred on Saturday at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, resulting in two fatalities and at least eight others being critically injured. Law enforcement officials were actively searching for the suspect in the hours following the incident.
The incident took place on a Saturday afternoon inside a campus building where final exams were being held. According to authorities, the suspect was dressed in black and fled the scene on foot.
In response to the violence, a shelter-in-place order was issued for the broader university area. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley emphasized that “we have all available resources” dedicated to locating the suspect. He expressed deep sorrow over the event, stating, “Sadly, today is a day that the city of Providence and the state of Rhode Island prayed would never come.” The mayor noted that while the city had heard about gun violence and active shooter situations elsewhere, such an event had not previously occurred in their community.
Brown University is a private institution with approximately 7,300 undergraduate students and over 3,000 graduate students. The recent shooting has raised concerns about campus safety and the ongoing issue of gun violence in educational institutions across the United States.
Here is a look at some of the deadliest shootings on U.S. college campuses in recent decades:
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KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY (December 2025): One student died and another was critically injured in a shooting at a residence hall. The suspect, who is a parent of a student, faces murder and assault charges.
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UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY (September 2025): Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking on campus during a political event. A 22-year-old suspect faces aggravated murder charges, and prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.
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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY (April 2025): Two people died and six were wounded in a shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee. A 21-year-old man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder.
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UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS (December 2023): A 67-year-old former business professor opened fire in the building housing the university’s business school, killing three professors and wounding a fourth. The gunman was killed in a shootout with police outside the building.
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MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY (February 2023): A 43-year-old gunman fired inside an academic building and the student union, killing three students and injuring five others. He later killed himself miles away from the campus in East Lansing while being confronted by police.
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UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA (November 2022): A student and former member of the school’s football team fatally shot three current players aboard a charter bus. The shooter pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and other charges and is awaiting sentencing.
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NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY (October 2015): A student killed one person and wounded three others in the first deadly shooting since the university was founded in 1899. The shooter later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aggravated assault and was sentenced to six years in prison.
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UMPQUA COMMUNITY COLLEGE (October 2015): A 26-year-old man killed nine people and wounded nine others in a shooting at the school in Roseburg, Oregon. The shooter then killed himself.
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA (May 2014): A 22-year-old college student killed six students and injured several others before killing himself.
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SANTA MONICA COLLEGE (June 2013): A 23-year-old man killed four people on campus before being fatally shot by police in the school’s library.
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OIKOS UNIVERSITY (April 2012): A former nursing student killed seven people at the small private college in East Oakland, California. He received seven consecutive life sentences and died in prison in 2019.
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NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY (February 2008): A 27-year-old former student shot and killed five people and wounded more than 20 others before killing himself.
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VIRGINIA TECH (April 2007): A 23-year-old student killed 32 people on the campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. More than two dozen others were wounded. The gunman then killed himself.
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UNIVERSITY OF IOWA (November 1991): A former graduate student killed five people and injured one other person in a shooting spree on the campus in Iowa City.
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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS (August 1966): A Marine-trained sniper killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others from atop the 27-story clock tower in the heart of the university’s flagship Austin campus. Authorities eventually shot and killed him.