Gunfire shatters calm at Brown University, leaving two dead, nine injured

A day meant for exams and quiet concentration turned tragic at Brown University on Saturday, when gunfire ripped through an engineering classroom, killing two students and injuring nine others on the Ivy League campus in Providence, Rhode Island, the Al Jazeera reported.

Mayor Brett Smiley confirmed the deaths after a 911 call alerted authorities shortly after 4 pm local time. Eight victims were rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical but stable condition, while a ninth later sought treatment for non-life-threatening injuries caused by bullet fragments, the Al Jazeera reported.

The shooter — described as a man dressed in black who fled the scene on foot — remains at large, triggering a sweeping lockdown of the campus and surrounding neighbourhoods. No weapon has yet been recovered.

University president Christina Paxton called the attack “a day we hoped would never come,” as hundreds of local and federal law enforcement officers, including the FBI and ATF, descended on the area to hunt for the suspect.

The shooting unfolded as final examinations were under way, with campus doors unlocked to allow student access — a detail now under scrutiny. Authorities say there is no immediate threat, but urged vigilance as the investigation continues.

The violence at Brown marks the second deadly campus shooting in the US this week, underscoring a grim reality in which classrooms are no longer immune from America’s gun crisis.