Brown University shooting: What we know so far

A massive police operation is under way following the latest deadly attack at a US educational institution.Published On 14 Dec 2025A manhunt is under way for the perpetrator behind a shooting attack at Rhode Island’s Brown University in the United States that killed two people and wounded nine, eight of them critically.A shelter-in-place order was in effect early Sunday on the campus of the prestigious Ivy League university and surrounding neighbourhoods in Providence, as law enforcement searched for the assailant.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4US mass killings drop to 20-year low in 2025list 2 of 4What we know about the DC shooting suspect’s shadowy Afghan CIA unit?list 3 of 4Student killed, suspect in custody in Kentucky State University shootinglist 4 of 4Manhunt under way for attacker after two students killed at US universityend of listHere’s what we know so far.What happened?On Saturday afternoon, a suspect with a firearm entered Brown’s Barus and Holley building, home to the school of engineering and the physics department, where students were taking exams.Two people were killed and eight critically injured when the attacker opened fire, with a ninth sustaining injuries from bullet fragments, officials said. The victims are yet to be publicly identified, although the university president, Christina Paxson, has said she was told they were students.University authorities became aware of the shooting at about 4:05pm local time (21:05 GMT), when emergency responders received a 911 call, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said.Seventeen minutes later, the university issued its first emergency update, warning that there was a gunman near the engineering building and advising those present to silence their phones and hide.Law enforcement swept the building, but the suspect had left the scene.Who is the shooter?Officials have released a video of the as-yet unidentified suspect, a male possibly in his 30s and dressed in black.The Providence deputy police chief, Timothy O’Hara, said the attacker might have worn a mask, but officials were not certain.