Two dead, eight injured in shooting at Brown University

María Paula Mijares Torres, Bloomberg News on Dec 13, 2025

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Two people were killed and eight were injured in a shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said Saturday. The attacker was still at large.

The shooting occurred on the second day of final exams for the fall semester at the Ivy League institution, which has a student population of about 11,000.

“The unthinkable has happened,” Gov. Daniel McKee said at a news conference.

A manhunt was underway for a male suspect who was dressed in black and left the building on foot. No weapon has been recovered after authorities searched the Barus and Holley engineering building, where final exams were being conducted.

Authorities declined to say whether the victims were students and cautioned more may yet be found.

The eight injured victims are at Rhode Island Hospital. One of the victims is in critical condition, six are in critical but stable condition, and one is in stable condition, according to Kelly Brennan, the senior public relations officer at the hospital.

Brown University alerted an active-shooter situation on campus at about 4:20 pm New York time and told students to shelter in place.

Brown Provost Francis J. Doyle III said most campus buildings must be accessed with a card swipe after hours but there was a lot of foot traffic in and out of the building because of the exams.

Officials said the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting Brown University police and Providence police.

“What a terrible thing it is,” President Donald Trump told reporters as he returned to the White House from the Army-Navy football game in Baltimore. “All we can do right now is pray for the victims. It’s a shame.”

“We are a week and a half away from Christmas, and two people died today, and another eight are in the hospital,” Smiley said. “So please pray for those families, understand that this is not something our community has gone through together but I also know this community and I know that its best moments are when we come together to support one another.”

Brown has been led by Christina Paxson, an economist, since 2012. Brown is a top employer in the state of Rhode Island, with nearly 5,500 employees.

The school in July reached an agreement with the Trump administration to restore research funding. Brown said it will pay $50 million over the next decade to support workforce development programs in its home state of Rhode Island.

(Janet Lorin contributed to this report.)