Parkland survivor describes sheltering in dorm at Brown to escape
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A sophomore at Brown University, who previously lived through the Parkland, Florida school shooting, expressed her frustration after once again encountering a gunman on campus.

Zoe Weissman, 20, recounted that her mind instantly jumped to thoughts of a shooting when a friend called around 4:15 p.m. to inform her about the shelter-in-place alert.

“Mentally, it feels like I’m back to being 12 years old. This mirrors exactly how I felt in 2018,” Zoe shared during an interview on MS NOW. “I’m honestly furious. I’m so angry that I’m experiencing this all over again, and I’m just in disbelief.”

Throughout the ordeal, she remained in her room, keeping her family informed of her safety.

“There are students who survived the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan, only to face another shooting at Michigan State,” she pointed out.

‘This isn’t a new phenomenon, and we’re going to get to a point where there’s people like myself who survived two of these.’

Weissman added that ‘no one is safe’ from shootings until US lawmakers take action.

It was February 2018 when Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 people and injured 17 more during his 2018 rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. 

A law enforcement official walks past articles of clothing on a sidewalk near an entrance to Brown University on Saturday in Providence

A law enforcement official walks past articles of clothing on a sidewalk near an entrance to Brown University on Saturday in Providence

Students were seen sheltering in place as the Brown University campus was plunged into lockdown

Students were seen sheltering in place as the Brown University campus was plunged into lockdown 

Law enforcement officials seen on the Brown University campus on Saturday evening

Law enforcement officials seen on the Brown University campus on Saturday evening

‘I think that my experience is so important because it shows that no one is safe from this until our congresspeople actually decide to do something and care about children, care about their constituents, care about people in this country, this will continue to happen, and there will be more people like me who have survived several school shootings,’ she said. 

On Saturday, a shooter dressed in black killed at least two people and wounded nine others at Brown University during final exams on the Ivy League campus, authorities said, as police searched for the suspect.

Officers were left hunting through campus buildings and sifting through trash cans more than three hours after the shooting erupted.

The suspect was a male in dark clothing who was last seen leaving an engineering building where the attack happened, said Timothy O´Hara, Deputy Chief of Police.

Mayor Brett Smiley said a shelter-in-place was in effect for the area and encouraged people living near the campus to stay inside and not to return home until it is lifted.

‘We have all available resources’ to find the suspect, Smiley said.

The site of the shooting sits on the edge of campus alongside a neighborhood filled with stately brick homes.

Zoe Weissman, 20, a Brown University sophomore who survived the 2018 Parkland school shooting said she feared history was repeating itself as reports of gunfire spread on campus. She said that unless gun policy changes, there will be more double-shooting survivors like her

Zoe Weissman, 20, a Brown University sophomore who survived the 2018 Parkland school shooting said she feared history was repeating itself as reports of gunfire spread on campus. She said that unless gun policy changes, there will be more double-shooting survivors like her

Surveillance video captured the 19-year-old gunman stalking the hallways of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland (2018)

Surveillance video captured the 19-year-old gunman stalking the hallways of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland (2018)

Image shows students as they were evacuated by police from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, after the shooting on February 14, 2018

Image shows students as they were evacuated by police from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, after the shooting on February 14, 2018

Eight people with gunshot wounds were taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where six were in critical but stable condition, according to Kelly Brennan, a spokesperson for the hospital. Another was in critical condition and one was stable, she said.

University officials initially told students and staff that a suspect was in custody, before later saying that was not the case and that police were still searching for a suspect or suspects, according to alerts issued through Brown’s emergency notification system.

The mayor said a person preliminarily thought to be involved was detained but was later determined to have no involvement.

‘We´re still getting information about what´s going on, but we´re just telling people to lock their doors and to stay vigilant,’ said Providence Councilmember John Goncalves, whose ward includes the Brown campus. 

‘As a Brown alum, someone who loves the Brown community and represents this area, I’m heartbroken. My heart goes out to all the family members and the folks who’ve been impacted.’

Law enforcement officials carry rifles while walking on a street in a neighborhood near Brown

Law enforcement officials carry rifles while walking on a street in a neighborhood near Brown 

A law enforcement official carries a rifle in a neighborhood near Brown University

A law enforcement official carries a rifle in a neighborhood near Brown University

The shooting occurred in the Barus & Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the School of Engineering and physics department. 

According to the university´s website, the building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms, and offices.

Engineering design exams were underway there when the shooting occurred.

Brown senior biochemistry student Alex Bruce was working on a final research project in his dorm directly across the street from the building when he heard sirens outside and received a text about an active shooter shortly after 4 p.m.

‘I´m just in here shaking,’ he said, watching through the window as a half-dozen armed officers in tactical gear surrounded his dorm. 

He said he feared for a friend who he thought was inside the engineering building at the time.

Students in a nearby lab hid under desks and turned off the lights after receiving an alert about the shooting, said Chiangheng Chien, a doctoral student in engineering who was about a block away from the scene.

Mari Camara, 20, a junior from New York City, was coming out of the library and rushed inside a taqueria to seek shelter. She spent more than three hours there, texting friends while police searched the campus.

‘Everyone is the same as me, shocked and terrified that something like this happened,’ she said.

President Donald Trump told reporters that he had been briefed on the shooting and ‘all we can do right now is pray for the victims.’

‘It´s a shame,’ he said in brief remarks at the White House.

The FBI said it was assisting in the response.

Brown, one of the nation’s most prestigious colleges, has roughly 7,300 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduate students. 

Tuition, housing and other fees run to nearly $100,000 per year, according to the university.

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