Gunfire erupted at Brown University’s engineering building Thursday afternoon, leaving two dead and at least eight critically injured during what should have been a routine final exam study session. The shooting, which occurred in a first-floor classroom, has plunged the prestigious Ivy League campus into grief and sparked a massive manhunt for a suspect captured on surveillance footage.
The attack took place at approximately 4:05 p.m. EST on December 13, 2025, inside Room 166 of the Barus and Holley Building during a review session for an introductory economics class, according to police records. Students described hearing multiple gunshots followed by screaming as panic spread through the building.
Campus Community Mourns
Among those killed was Ella Cook, a Brown University student remembered by classmates as a “bright light” on campus. Friends described Cook as “incredibly grounded and generous and faithful” in social media tributes that poured in overnight as news of her identity spread.
Brown University President Christina H. Paxson addressed the tragedy in an emotional statement to the community. “This is a deeply tragic day for Brown, our families and our local community,” Paxson wrote. “There are truly no words that can express the deep sorrow we are feeling for the victims of the shooting that took place today at the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building on our campus today.”
The attack came during the university’s final exam period, when the building would have been filled with students preparing for end-of-semester tests. Eight victims remain hospitalized in critical but stable condition, according to university officials.
Manhunt Underway
What do we know about the suspect? Precious little so far. Police have released surveillance footage showing an individual dressed entirely in black, believed to be in his 30s, exiting the building shortly after the shooting. The suspect appears to be hiding his face with what investigators described as a camouflage mask.
Local and federal law enforcement have established a perimeter around the campus while conducting a building-by-building search. The FBI has joined the investigation, bringing additional resources to assist local authorities.
Students were initially told to shelter in place before being evacuated from campus buildings. Many reported receiving emergency alerts on their phones while in the midst of study sessions or exams.
“I was just reviewing my notes when people started running past the library windows,” said junior Maya Hernandez, who was studying nearby. “Then my phone started blowing up with alerts. Nobody knew what was happening at first.”
The university has canceled all remaining final exams and established an emergency counseling center in the campus center for students and faculty affected by the tragedy. As dawn broke over Providence, the usually bustling campus remained largely deserted, with police tape surrounding the engineering building and flowers already beginning to appear at an impromptu memorial near the main gate.
“We will stand together as a community,” President Paxson said in her statement, though for many on campus, the road to healing seems impossibly distant as the search for answers — and a suspect — continues.
