On Saturday, December 13, 2025, Brown University’s engineering and physics building in Providence, Rhode Island, was shot up by an unidentified gunman. At least two people have been killed, and nine others were injured as the unimaginable happened. A manhunt for the gunman is entering day three after a ‘person of interest’ was freed. A shelter-in-place order was put in effect for the school and the surrounding community but was lifted on Sunday.
After the shooting, the gunman fled the scene at the Barus & Holley building on the east edge of campus. A Brown University Health spokesperson informed the media that the nine injured individuals were being treated, with seven of them remaining in critical condition and one having been stabilized. The 11th victim was identified hours after the shooting occurred, but suffered from non-life-threatening injuries.
Brown University Shooting
The mass shooting was reported just after 4 p.m. local time at the Brown University building. The seven-story structure that the majority of engineering and physics majors study at will no longer be the same. The attack happened inside a first-floor classroom, and the gunman had easy access as the exterior doors were open due to the ongoing exams. Commander Timothy O’Hara, deputy chief of Providence police, said,
“It is unknown how he entered the building, but we do know that he exited the Hope Street side of that complex.” O’Hara described the gunman as “a male dressed in black.”
During the shooting, students took cover under their desks. Chiang-Heng Chien, a doctoral engineering student, was working in the campus lab at the time of the attack and said students took cover as shots rang out. “We decided to turn the lights off and close all the doors and hide under our desks,” Chien said.
After two hours of agony, police cleared the building the lab was in and began searching for the shooter. The University President Christina H. Paxson said it is “a deeply tragic day for Brown, our families and our local community,” in a message to the school’s community.
‘Person of Interest’
Providence police released security footage that showed the person who is believed to be the shooter. The seconds-long video shows a man dressed in dark, loose pants and a jacket, possibly wearing a knit cap, walking down Hope Street. He rounds a corner lined with a retaining wall, and his face is never clearly visible. The events that occurred beforehand are not shown in the video.
Police detained a person of interest in the mass shooting, but he was released Sunday night. Following the announcement, Major David Lapatin told CNN they have plenty of leads thanks to the tips coming in from community members.
“We’re continuing with a plan. We’re hitting the streets. We’re on it,” he said. “We’re collecting evidence now, seeing if it will lead to a possible arrest.” He did not elaborate on further evidence they may or may not have beyond the security footage. However, with plenty of leads, it is safe to assume the investigation is under control.
Change Can Be Made
The Brown University shooting marks yet another unimaginable yet preventable tragedy in our country. It is preventable in the sense that lawmakers and politicians choose to ignore that gun violence is abnormal and protect the right to own guns over the lives of defenseless students. President Donald Trump commented on the shooting, stating, “What a terrible thing it is, and all we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt,” he said. Ironically, there is something we can do for the victims, and that is to enact real change.
This tragedy brings the national mass shootings for 2025 up to 392, including 75 in schools. While this year’s numbers show a downward trend compared to the past five years, the number of casualties remains in the thousands. Death by gun violence should not be normalized, but unfortunately, people in the United States have become desensitized to it.
