At least 2 killed in Brown University shooting; police detain person of interest
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Tragedy struck Brown University in Rhode Island on Saturday when a shooting claimed the lives of two students and left nine others injured, as reported by local authorities.

During an early Sunday press conference, Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez announced that a person of interest had been taken into custody overnight. However, he refrained from disclosing specific details about the detainment location or whether the individual has ties to the university. In a subsequent briefing later that day, Perez mentioned that the person in question is in their 20s and that investigators are working to ascertain any potential connection to Brown University.

The Coventry police, who collaborated with the FBI in capturing the suspect, informed WPRI that the arrest occurred smoothly at 3:45 a.m. local time at the Hampton Inn and Suites on Center of New England Boulevard. After the arrest, the individual was transported to Providence.

At a Sunday press conference, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley provided updates on the injured students. He confirmed that the conditions of the nine students hospitalized on Saturday had not worsened overnight. As of early Sunday, seven of the injured were stable, one remained in stable but critical condition, and one had been discharged, according to Smiley.

“This morning, the people of Providence can find some relief,” Mayor Smiley commented. “While the investigation into the detained individual continues intensively, we wanted to provide this update to assure the community that some progress is being made.”

“That is also why we feel confident and comfortable to lift the shelter in place for the city,” he continued.

Brown alerted students and campus faculty of an active shooter near the Barus and Holley engineering building at 4:22 p.m. EST. Officials told reporters that final exams were underway in the building during the afternoon. They said the suspect was dressed in black and last seen leaving the building. Later on Saturday night, officials said the shooting occurred in a classroom.

Early Sunday, Brown University President Christina Paxson said it’s her understanding that the shooting occurred in a final exam room.

“This is a deeply tragic day for Brown, our families and our local community,” she said in an initial statement.

Later Sunday morning, Brown University Provost Francis J. Doyle III announced that all classes and final exams were postponed.

Local, state and federal officials and law enforcement touted the close collaboration at all levels to bring the person of interest into custody so quickly. Smiley said police would remain stationed throughout the city to provide a sense of ease for the community.

Hours after the shooting, officers were hunting through academic buildings, backyards and porches, The Associated Press reported. The university has roughly 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students.

“The FBI is on the scene,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social while at the Army-Navy college football game, noting that he had been briefed on the situation. “God bless the victims and the families of the victims!”

The school previously said a suspect was in custody and later corrected its alert to students and staff to say the suspect has not been arrested, WCVB-TV, a Massachusetts-based news station, reported. Trump also noted the reversal after previously sharing on Truth Social that a suspect was in custody.

“We’re all thinking of and praying for the victims tonight,” Vice President Vance posted on the social platform X.

The university said in an earlier alert that the community had been informed to “shelter in place by locking doors, silence phones and stay hidden until further notice.”

The order was lifted shortly before 6 a.m. on Sunday.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said in a statement that his “heart breaks for the students who were looking forward to a holiday break and instead are dealing with another horrifying mass shooting, this time in our own Providence community.”

“This is an active situation, and I echo Mayor Smiley in urging Rhode Islanders to heed only official updates from Brown University and the Providence Police,” he added. “We will get through this as a community.”

Fellow Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed (D) said in his own statement that “some families, classmates, and loved ones are gathered together in hospital waiting rooms at this very moment waiting for updates on patients.”

“We are with them in spirit,” he said. “They will need the support of all us in the days ahead.”

The FBI’s Boston field office said on X that it is assisting law enforcement in Rhode Island.

“It was honestly quite terrifying,” student Katie Sun told The Brown Daily Herald, the university newspaper. “The shots seemed like they were coming from … where the classrooms are.”

Updated at 12:52 p.m. EST

Max Rego contributed to this report.

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