Brown University students describe chaos during shooting: 'We didn’t know where it was safe'

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: Brown University experienced a harrowing active shooter incident on campus on Saturday afternoon, December 13, prompting emergency alerts, a shelter-in-place order, and a massive law enforcement response across the area.

The university issued urgent notifications instructing students and faculty to lock doors, silence phones, and remain hidden as authorities searched for the suspect near the Barus & Holley engineering building.

At least two people were killed in the shooting, while eight others were hospitalized in critical but stable condition, according to officials.

In a statement shared on social media, the university confirmed the casualties and urged the campus community to remain sheltered as the situation continued to unfold.

Student describes experience amid Brown University shooting

One student, who was grabbing dinner during the pressure of finals week, described the confusion that unfolded as police activity increased around campus.

“So we were all waiting around,” he said. “I think we knew about it before the workers.”

As the situation escalated, people remained inside nearby restaurants and shops, watching officers respond and block off areas around the university.

“Ten or 15 minutes later, they said actually for everyone to get out because they were shutting down,” the student recalled.

With most campus buildings closed, he decided to remain outside near law enforcement. “I just stayed outside with all the police because I figured that was a safe spot,” he said.

When asked what the area was like before the shooting, he described a typical finals week atmosphere. “It’s cold, it’s finals season, so people are hunkered down doing finals inside mostly,” he explained, adding that many students had been eating out due to limited time to cook.

Reflecting on the impact on the community, the student said, “I don’t feel so qualified to speak more broadly, but it’s terrible. You hear about it around the country, and you dread the day it could happen at the school you’re at, and in a community that is so vibrant and has so many amazing people.

More students recount lockdown during Brown University shooting

Another student said he and a friend reacted immediately after receiving the emergency alert.

“We turned the light off, closed all doors, hid under our desks, and waited for the next notification,” he said.

Asked how long they remained under the desk, the student replied that it was about two hours.

A separate student told WJAR that he hid under a desk in a university lab for two hours while police investigated reports of multiple people being shot near campus.

Katie Sun, a Brown University student, said she had been studying inside the building where the shooting occurred when she heard “five or six” gunshots.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Sun told CNN’s Jessica Dean on 'Newsroom.' “I didn’t really know what to make of it, but there were just so many in sequence,” she said, describing the sounds as “bangs or pops.”

Sun said she ran toward her dorm and left her belongings behind as she fled with other students. “Everybody was running,” she said. “It was so scary, but I was thankfully able to get into my dorm safely.”

Inside classrooms across campus, students were seen crouching near windows, whispering into their phones as sirens and emergency vehicles rushed past.

Authorities later said not all reported injuries appeared to be caused by gunfire, though details remained under investigation.