Tragedy Strikes Brown University: Shooting Leaves Community in Shock
First responders with the Providence Fire Department maneuver an empty stretcher near the Barus and Holley building at Brown University in Providence, R.I., on Saturday. Bing Guan/AFP via Getty Images
In a tragic event at Brown University, a shooter opened fire in an academic building during final exams, resulting in the deaths of two students and wounding nine others. The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon in Providence, Rhode Island.
Authorities have identified a person of interest, a man in his 20s named Benjamin Erickson. However, further details about him or his motives have not been disclosed. The situation has left the Ivy League community reeling, as they were preparing for the upcoming winter break, stated Mayor Brett P. Smiley.
“I think maybe intellectually we knew it could happen anywhere, including here,” Smiley commented during a press conference on Sunday, “but that’s not the same as it happening in our community.”
The event has drawn sympathy from across the nation, including from President Trump, who extended his condolences to those affected. “Brown University, [is a] great school,” Trump stated from the White House. “To the nine injured, get well fast, and to the families of those two that are no longer with us, I pay my deepest regards and respects.”
As of Sunday, seven of the injured were in critical but stable condition, one was in critical condition, while another had been treated and released from the hospital, according to Brown University President Christina Paxson. The shooting took place at approximately 4 p.m. ET in the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building during an economics class.
“Our community is strong, and we’ll get through it,” Paxson assured in a press briefing. “But it’s devastating.”
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez indicated that no further suspects are being sought at this time, although the investigation is ongoing. The person of interest was apprehended in a hotel room in Coventry, about 20 miles from Brown’s campus, following a tip-off, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on X.
Previously, the authorities were on the lookout for a suspect described as “a male dressed in black,” who fled the scene on foot. The suspect’s access to the building remains unclear, though it was noted there was considerable traffic in the building due to exam schedules, as explained by Brown University Provost Francis Doyle.
Doyle also mentioned that Brown University has decided to cancel most remaining in-person exams for the fall semester, prioritizing support and care for the community as they cope with the aftermath of the incident.
The shelter-in-place order for Brown’s campus and nearby areas was lifted on Sunday morning.
