Tragedy at Brown University: Campus Shooting Claims Two Lives, Students Recount Harrowing Experiences During Lockdown

Brown University students gathered for a candlelight vigil following the tragic mass shooting incident on campus.

Following Saturday's devastating shooting rampage that claimed the lives of two students, Brown University canceled all final exams, classes, and assignments for the remainder of the fall semester and sent students home.

On Sunday morning, a layer of snow blanketed the campus and downtown Providence, Rhode Island, as the Ivy League institution confronted its first experience with mass violence. Students described barricading themselves in their residences, enduring shelter-in-place orders by clustering together in darkness for hours while authorities searched for the shooter who had opened fire on undergraduates preparing for their exams.

The shooting disrupted the second day of finals at Brown, shattering the quiet atmosphere of a study session in the Barus & Holley engineering building. The institution, with approximately 11,000 students, issued an active-shooter alert at around 4:20 p.m. New York time, directing the campus community to lock down immediately.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley acknowledged the long road ahead: "There's going to be many days, months, or I'm not sure how long, of both healing, but also moments to advocate for what might need to change." When asked about at least two Brown students who had previously survived mass shootings at their high schools, he added, "I won't be shy about sharing what I think needs to be done to make my community safer, but I'm not doing that today."

Officials reported that two students lost their lives and nine others sustained injuries, with one remaining in critical but stable condition. One injured student has been discharged, while the others are in stable condition. Authorities declined to identify the victims until all families had been notified.

A person of interest detained early Sunday was identified as Benjamin Erickson, 24, according to a source familiar with the arrest. He has not yet been charged, and police have refrained from publicly identifying him. The individual was apprehended at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, approximately 20 miles from Providence, as reported by FBI Director Kash Patel on social media.

Gunnar S., a freshman from Virginia who withheld his last name, had attended two earlier study sessions for an upcoming final exam but decided to skip the third session on Saturday where the shooting occurred.

He noted that most students in the class were freshmen, and friends were exchanging text messages to check on their classmates' safety. Some students didn't respond for hours because they had left their phones behind while fleeing to safety.

Gunnar revealed that he hid under his bed with his roommate in darkness until 3 a.m. He expressed his desire to return home as soon as possible, saying he no longer feels safe on campus.

Benjamin, a Brown junior who also declined to provide his last name, was loading his car during Sunday's snowfall to head to his grandparents' home nearby before traveling to Louisville, Kentucky. His residence is close to the engineering school where the shooting took place, and he described how he and his housemates barricaded themselves in one of their rooms until midnight.

Police vehicles blocked streets near the shooting site, and caution tape surrounded the building, fluttering in the winter wind.

Yet signs of normalcy were also present: three students engaged in a snowball fight on the quad, while others built a snowman on the university's main green.

The shelter-in-place order for the campus was lifted on Sunday.

"We continue to be in mourning as a community about the tragic loss of life," Brown University President Christina Paxson stated on Sunday. "I am deeply moved by all the students who opened their homes and their arms to welcome friends into their dorms and other residences while we transported others to local hotels."

Brown Provost Francis J. Doyle III announced in a separate statement early Sunday that all classes, exams, assignments, and projects for the remainder of the fall semester "will not take place as scheduled." Doyle also informed students they could leave campus earlier if able.

"In the immediate aftermath of these devastating events, we recognize that learning and assessment are significantly hindered in the short term and that many students and others will wish to depart campus," Doyle wrote. "Students are free to leave if they are able. Students who remain will have access to on-campus services and support."

Beyond the campus, parents, relatives, and friends grappled with the aftermath. Jim Esposito, president of Citadel Securities and a Brown trustee, wrote in a LinkedIn post that his son was "meant to be in the very Economics classroom where the shooting occurred, but at the last moment, he chose to study on his own." He added, "That reality cuts deeply."

NBC reported earlier that the person of interest had a distinctive characteristic to his firearm, which was discovered when he was taken into custody. Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez Jr. did not confirm whether a weapon was found during Sunday afternoon's press conference.

Previously, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee told Bloomberg News there was an "all-out search" involving every level of government, adding he had spoken to President Donald Trump and the FBI's Patel. He urged residents to contact local police if they had information about the shooter.

"I want to just pay my respects to the people, unfortunately, two are no longer with us at Brown University, nine injured, and two are looking down on us right now from heaven," Trump said at a White House holiday reception on Sunday. "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 from the United States of America."

The external doors to the building where the shooting occurred were unlocked at the time of the incident.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rhode Island has one of the lowest rates of firearm-related deaths in the United States. The Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit information aggregator, reports that the last deadly mass shooting in Rhode Island occurred in 2013.

Prior to Saturday, Providence had experienced only two homicides this year, Mayor Smiley stated in an interview.

"I don't know of a time something like this has ever happened in Providence," he said. The city has recently conducted training for active shooter situations, including a joint exercise between Brown and Providence police about six months ago to ensure proper coordination.

"When you live in a town like this, you don't think this is going to happen even as you prepare for it," Smiley remarked.