Two students were killed and nine others were wounded in a shooting at Brown University's campus late Saturday afternoon. Here's what we know.
Shooting at Brown University
Around 4 p.m. on Saturday, a shooter opened fire at the Barus and Holley building, which has classrooms and labs for the physics and engineering departments. The New York Times reports that Joseph Oduro, a 21-year-old senior and teaching assistant, was leading an economics study session for about 60 students when a masked man entered the classroom and started shooting. Law enforcement officials initially said the suspected shooter was wearing all black.
Students and staff were urged to shelter in place Saturday night; the lockdown was lifted early Sunday morning. As of Sunday morning, seven of the people who were injured in the shooting were in stable condition, with two in critical condition. Officials have not yet released the identities of the victims.
Two of the survivors of Saturday's horrific attack at Brown have lived through other mass shootings. 21-year-old Mia Tretta attended Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California, in 2019 when a 16-year-old student with a pistol shot five classmates, killing two. Tretta suffered a gunshot to the abdomen. “People always think, 'Well, it’ll never be me,'” Tretta told the New York Times. “And until I was shot in my school, I also thought the same thing.”
Tretta was studying in her dorm when the shooting erupted — she had initially intended to go to the Barus and Holley building, but decided against it because she was tired.
Zoe Weissman, 20, attended the middle school adjacent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 when the Parkland shooting took place.
"What I’ve been feeling most is just, like, how dare this country allow this to happen to someone like me twice?” Weissman told the NYT.
Person of interest in Brown University shooting released
At a press conference on Sunday morning, Providence Police Department Chief Col. Oscar Perez said that a man in his twenties has been detained. The man was taken into custody at a hotel in Coventry, a town about 16 miles southwest of Brown. FBI Director Kash Patel said that law enforcement used cellphone data to track the person of interest to the hotel room where he was later apprehended.
A law enforcement official told CNN that the person of interest had two firearms with them when they were apprehended, one of which was equipped with laser sight. The exact type of weapons remains unclear.
That person of interest was subsequently released, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha added that evidence "now points in a different direction."
On Monday, the FBI and Providence Police released video and images of a person of interest taken a few hours before the mass shooting that killed two people and injured nine more at Brown University over the weekend.
The FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual responsible, and released a description of a person who is “approximately 5’8” with a stocky build.”
All classes and exams are canceled
Brown canceled all remaining classes, exams, and assignments for the rest of the semester. The semester wasn't supposed to end until Friday, but in a note to the Brown community, university provost Francis J. Doyle III wrote, “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.”
“For the moment, we encourage everyone to focus on their own safety and well-being,” he added. The school will be back in touch at a later point to address students' academic concerns.
President Trump reacts
On Saturday, President Trump responded to the shooting, writing, “God bless the victims and the families of the victims!” on Truth Social. He told reporters on Saturday night that it was "a terrible thing," adding, "all we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those who were very badly hurt."
On Sunday, President Trump spoke about this weekend's two mass shootings — the attack at Brown and an antisemitic mass shooting in Australia — at the beginning of a White House Christmas reception. He called the Bondi Beach shooting "a terrible situation." Of the Brown shooting, he said: "To the nine injured, get well fast, and to the families of those who are no longer with us, my deepest regards and respect."
