What we know as police begin massive investigation

Police are searching for the gunman who fatally shot two students and wounded nine others at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Police said the assailant, a man dressed in black, fled on foot, and a shelter-in-place order was issued for the area surrounding the prestigious university.

The campus attack brought the number of mass shootings in the U.S. this year to 389, according to the Gun Violence Archive, an independent analysis website.

A shooting is defined as one in which four or more victims, not including the attacker, are killed or injured.

Here’s what we know:

Officials reported that the gunman opened fire in a classroom at Holly Institute of Technology, located on the eastern end of the Brown Campus, around 16:00 (21:00) local time on Saturday.

The school said that final exams were in progress in the building at the time of the shooting.

The Barus and Holley Engineering Building is a seven-story block containing 117 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and three classrooms.

An economics professor told Ocean State Radio, a local public media outlet, that the shooting occurred during a course review session led by his teaching assistant.

“He said the gunman came through the door and he couldn’t remember what he said so he started shooting,” Rachel Friedberg said.

“Students started struggling to get away from the gunman, tried to duck under the stadium seats, and people got shot,” she added.

Two students studying at the nearby Rockefeller Library when an active shooter alert was issued told the BBC they were “staying away from the windows” as they waited for a police escort.

Officers searched the floor, made them drop their bags and raise their hands, and then dragged them out of the library, the two people said.

One of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States, Brown University is part of the Ivy League, a group of prestigious universities in the northeastern United States.

The university, which enrolls more than 11,000 students, is located in Providence, Rhode Island’s capital, approximately 80 kilometers from Boston and 290 kilometers from New York City.

Two students died in this accident, and nine are receiving treatment. Medical staff said one person was in critical condition, six were in “critical but stable” condition and two were in less serious condition.

The identities of the dead and injured have not yet been released, but Brown University President Christina Paxson told reporters at a press briefing that all victims, including those killed and injured, were students.

“This is a day we hope will never come for our community. It is a very devastating day for all of us,” she said in a statement.

A ninth victim did not suffer a gunshot wound, but suffered non-life-threatening injuries from shrapnel from gunfire “that occurred near them,” according to police.

Little is known so far about the shooter, but police have released CCTV footage showing the male suspect leaving the scene of the shooting, wearing black clothing.

There is no weapon visible in the video and the face is obscured. Officials also said no firearms were found during a sweep of the building on Saturday.

Investigators do not yet know if the shooter was a student, but Providence Police Chief Tim O’Hara said the suspect was a man in his 30s wearing dark clothing.

“We are utilizing every resource available to find this suspect,” he said.

Some witnesses reportedly told police he may have been wearing a gray mask for camouflage.

Police arrested one person before determining they were not involved in the shooting and releasing him.

A large-scale operation involving police and federal agents is currently underway in Providence, with approximately 400 officers working to find the suspect.

Residents and students near the university have been told to stay home and stay indoors or stay away until the shelter-in-place order is lifted.

Students in the area told the BBC they planned to stay home until the situation calmed down and the gunman was arrested.

President Donald Trump described the shooting as a “horrible thing” to reporters as he returned to the White House from attending the annual Army and Navy football game.

“All we can do now is pray for the victims and those who were seriously injured,” he said.

Additional reporting by Pratiksha Ghildial