Brown University has joined the growing list of campuses grappling with a tragic mass shooting event. Over the weekend, a gunman claimed the lives of at least two individuals and injured eight others during finals week at this prestigious Ivy League school in Rhode Island.

In response to the shooting, authorities enforced a shelter-in-place directive and cordoned off nearby streets as they launched a manhunt for the suspect, described as male.

“Today marks a heartbreaking moment for Brown University, our students, and the surrounding community,” shared Christina H. Paxson, the university’s president, in a heartfelt message to students and staff. “We are struggling to find words to convey the profound sorrow we feel for the victims of the tragic incident at the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building.”

She continued, “This is a scenario we all hoped would never unfold here. The devastation is overwhelming for everyone involved. We are thankful to the law enforcement teams for their swift action and ongoing efforts to maintain our community’s safety. Please remain vigilant and prioritize your safety.”

While Rhode Island Hospital has implemented a lockdown, it continues to accept patients in its emergency department.

President Donald Trump said he has been briefed on the shooting.

“What a terrible thing it is,” the president said. “All we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt, it looks like. … We’ll inform you later as to what’s happening, but it’s a shame. Let’s just pray.”

Ambulances at Brown University amid an active shooter incident. (Andrea Margolis/Fox News Digital)

Brown University, an Ivy League school founded in 1764, is a leading nonprofit research university in Providence, Rhode Island.

The institution has more than 11,000 students and 5,500 employees, including close to 900 regular faculty.

Brown University’s endowment is $8 billion, making it among the wealthiest institutions in the country.

The shooting Saturday was just the most recent shooting on a U.S. college campus.

A junior Brown University student told Fox News Digital he was barricaded in a university building during the shooting, called 911 and waited nearly two hours before police arrived.

“They brought us down into a basement office space with a few hundred people and have been sweeping the building getting groups of people as they call 911 and inform them of their location,” the student said. “We’re hearing pretty daunting numbers, and people are all checking in on their friends.”

A law enforcement official walks past articles of clothing on a sidewalk near an entrance to Brown University during the investigation of a shooting. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

On Tuesday, a shooting at Kentucky State University killed one student and critically injured another.

There were also other shootings on college campuses earlier this year, including the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a September event at Utah Valley University and a shooting at Florida State University in April in which two people were killed and seven were wounded.