Authorities have detained a person of interest following a tragic mass shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island, where two individuals lost their lives and several others were injured. The incident unfolded yesterday evening, sending shockwaves through the university community.

As of early Sunday morning, law enforcement officials have confirmed the custody of one individual related to this case. Mayor Brett Smiley has offered some reassurance to the citizens of Providence, suggesting that they can experience a “small sigh of relief” with this development.

The chaotic scene began with a 911 call at 4:05 p.m. on Saturday, reporting gunfire at Brown University’s renowned engineering building. This unsettling event took place during a crucial time for students, as they were immersed in their end-of-semester exams.

In a bid to gather public assistance, police released a brief video late Saturday night depicting a person of interest. Seen turning a corner on Waterman Street, the individual was dressed entirely in black.

Acting swiftly, authorities apprehended the man depicted in the video at around 3 a.m. at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, according to CNN reports. This arrest followed a significant mobilization of police resources and activity in the area.

Police held a press conference at 7am Sunday. 

Terrified students at the Ivy League school were made to shelter in place for hours overnight. That has now been lifted, as of 7am Sunday morning.

Mayor Smiley confirmed that there will be an enhanced police presence in Providence today for the ‘comfort and reassurance of our community’ as the investigation continues. 

He confirmed that there were nine people injured and two fatalities in the mass shooting.

Police released a short clip of a person of interest walking as he turns the corner on Waterman Street near Brown’s campus. It’s unclear if the same person has been arrested

Police S.W.A.T. team members gather inside Brown University’s Sciences Library after the shooting Saturday

Smiley gave an update on the injured – confirming that seven are in stable condition, one is in critical, and one has been discharged from hospital. 

‘The people of Providence should breathe a little easier this morning,’ the mayor said, adding that he is confident to lift the shelter in place this morning. 

The Mayor seemed to become emotional as he spoke on Sunday: ‘This is an incredibly upsetting and emotional time, for Providence, for Brown, for all of us. 

‘This is not something we should have to train for.’ 

Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez confirmed that the person they have in custody matches the brief description police gave of their suspected gunman – male, wearing all black, and possibly in his 30s.

Perez did not go as far to call the detainee a suspect, but said that could not confirm many details, but he said that next, law enforcement will coordinate with prosecutors, collect evidence, conduct interviews and collect more details.

Police initially described the suspect as male, wearing all black and possibly in his 30’s. Perez did confirm that to be true of the person of interest who was detained.

The first reports of shots fired were issued just after 4pm inside a first-floor classroom of the Barus and Holley Engineering Building, where students had gathered to prepare for final exams.

Smiley said the gunman ‘walked right into’ the building because doors were left unlocked for students taking the tests. 

Police arrived around 4.22pm and a huge law enforcement response descended on the scene, but by the time officers swept the building the suspect had escaped onto the adjacent Hope Street.

Mayor Smiley gave an update on the injured – confirming that seven are in stable condition, one is in critical, and one has been discharged from hospital

Students seen sheltering in place as the Providence, Rhode Island college was sent into lockdown for hours on Saturday evening following the horror shooting spree 

Hours after the shooting took place, terrified students remained in lockdown as images surfaced on social media showing barricaded doors

Over 400 heavily armed law enforcement agents were deployed 

A huge law enforcement presence remained at the campus through Saturday night

It was during this getaway that investigators captured the chilling surveillance footage showing the suspect walking briskly away from the carnage left behind.

Chaos overwhelmed the campus as students barricaded doors and desperately texted loved ones, with the campus issuing an emergency alert warning anyone in the area to ‘RUN, HIDE, FIGHT’ if they encounter the killer.

Social media was swept with images from terrified students and faculty, showing desks, chairs and possessions pushed up against doors.

Brown University student Wayne McNamara said he saw two people bleeding outside his dorm room, around a block from where the shooting was reported.

‘People started running and I sprinted downstairs and back outside, took my clothes off and tried my best to stop the bleeding on the two kids by wrapping my clothes around their wounds,’ he told the Boston Globe.

McNamara said one of the people shot was ‘bleeding severely,’ while the other was ‘panting and [was] shot around his shoulder.’

Sophomore Zoe Weissman, who survived the Parkland school shooting in February 2018, described her horror at being plunged back into the chaos of a shooting.

‘I think mentally, you know, I feel like I’m 12 again. This just feels exactly like how I felt in 2018,’ she said while speaking on MS NOW. ‘But honestly, I’m really angry. I’m really angry that this is happening to me all over again, and I’m just in shock.’

This is a breaking news story.