What began as an ordinary day on Brown University’s campus ended in chaos and terror after a masked gunman stormed into an academic building and opened fire, killing two Ivy League students and wounding several others.
A student who witnessed the attack said the shooter yelled something before pulling the trigger — words that remain unclear as investigators work to piece together the sequence of events.
A Teaching Assistant Comes Face to Face With the Gunman
Joseph Oduro, a 21-year-old Brown senior and teaching assistant, said he was inside a classroom when the attacker burst in.
According to Oduro, the man shouted before firing, though what he screamed is still unknown.
“That’s what the students and I — and the detectives — have been trying to piece together,” Oduro told the New York Times, describing the confusion and fear that followed.
Hiding Under Desks as Bullets Flew
As shots rang out, Oduro and roughly 20 students scrambled for cover, diving behind desks. One student nearby was shot in the leg.
Oduro said the middle rows of the classroom appeared to take the brunt of the gunfire.
“Many of them were lying there and they were not moving,” he said. “I have no idea how many.”
Suspect Taken Into Custody at Nearby Hotel
Providence police have not publicly identified the shooter but confirmed that a masked man in his 20s has been detained.
Officers arrested the person of interest at a Hampton Inn in Coventry, Rhode Island.
Authorities have not released a motive, and no charges have yet been announced.
Police Keep Details Close as Investigation Grows
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr. offered few specifics during a Sunday press conference, saying investigators are still carefully building their case.
“I have a responsibility to respect the integrity of this investigation,” Perez said. “It’s a process, and it’s complex.”
He added that officials would return with more information if and when formal charges are filed.
Two Firearms Found During Arrest
Law enforcement sources told CNN that the detained man was carrying two guns at the time of his arrest. While officials did not specify the weapons, police believe a handgun was used in the campus shooting.
Mayor Shares Emotional Hospital Conversations
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley spoke emotionally about visiting wounded students in the hospital. One victim told him that active shooter drills from high school helped them respond during the attack — a realization Smiley said left him shaken.
“We shouldn’t have to do active shooter drills,” he said. “But it helped — and the reason it helped is because it’s so damn frequent.”
Survivors Haunted by Past School Shootings
For two students wounded in the Brown attack, the trauma was tragically familiar. Mia Tretta, 21, previously survived the 2019 shooting at Saugus High School in California, where she was shot in the abdomen and lost her best friend.
Zoe Weissman, 20, witnessed the 2018 Parkland shooting in Florida that killed 17 people when she was just 12.
“I’m angry that I thought I’d never have to deal with this again,” Weissman told NBC News. “And here I am eight years later.”
Political Blame and National Anger
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, pointed the finger at President Donald Trump, blaming recent policy decisions for what he described as a rise in violence.
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Murphy accused the president of rolling back gun restrictions, eliminating the White House office of gun violence protection, and cutting funding for mental health and community safety programs.
Community Helped Track Down the Suspect
Local businesses also played a role in the investigation.
Michelle Cheng, who owns Ceremony tea shop in Providence, said her landlord provided police with CCTV footage showing a person of interest walking through the neighborhood.
Cheng said her store sheltered students during the campus lockdown and described the night as deeply traumatic for the community.
Students Describe Panic and Lockdowns
Across campus, students recounted moments of fear and confusion.
Chemical engineering student Emma Ferraro heard what she first thought were loud pops before realizing they were gunshots and running for safety.
Doctoral candidate Eva Erickson had left the engineering building just minutes earlier and was later locked down in the campus gym.
“I’m just in here shaking,” said senior biochemistry student Alex Bruce, watching armed officers surround his dorm across the street from the shooting scene.
Campus Remains Under Heavy Police Presence
Officers continued to stand guard outside the Barus & Holley engineering building as investigators combed the scene.
With the suspect detained and the investigation ongoing, the Brown community is left grappling with grief, shock, and unanswered questions about how such violence once again found its way onto a college campus.
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