A gunman opened fire during a final exam review session at Brown University on Friday, killing two students and wounding nine others in what authorities are calling a targeted attack.
The shooting erupted around 4:05 p.m. EST in Room 166 of the Barus & Holley engineering building, where students had gathered for an introductory economics review led by a 21-year-old teaching assistant. Witnesses described a chaotic scene as the assailant, dressed entirely in black and possibly wearing a camouflage mask, entered the classroom and began firing without warning.
The Victims
Among those killed were Ella Cook, vice president of Brown’s College Republicans and a parishioner at Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, who had immigrated to the United States from Uzbekistan. Both were undergraduates at the Ivy League institution, according to records released by university officials.
Nine other students suffered injuries ranging from critical to minor. Their identities have not yet been released pending family notifications.
“Our focus right now is on supporting the families who have been affected by this,” said Providence Police Chief Maria Rodriguez at a hastily arranged press conference Friday evening. The chief confirmed that surveillance footage has been obtained showing a suspect in dark clothing moving through the building shortly before the attack.
Campus in Lockdown
How could this happen during finals week? That’s the question haunting students and faculty who were forced to shelter in place for nearly three hours as tactical teams swept the campus building by building.
The university issued an emergency alert at 4:12 p.m., just minutes after the first shots were reported. “ACTIVE THREAT: Shelter in place immediately,” read the text message sent to all students and staff. Many students barricaded themselves in classrooms and dorm rooms, some posting harrowing accounts to social media as they waited for the all-clear.
Brown University President Michaela Thompson canceled all remaining final exams and closed campus through the weekend. Counseling services have been made available for students, many of whom were preparing to travel home for winter break.
“This senseless act of violence has shattered our community at what should be a time of celebration and accomplishment,” Thompson said in a statement. The university has established a memorial fund for the victims and their families.
Investigation Ongoing
Authorities have not yet identified a suspect or determined a motive, though investigators are examining whether the economics review session was specifically targeted. The FBI has joined local law enforcement in the investigation.
The shooting marks the first such incident in Brown University’s 261-year history and comes amid a national debate about campus security and gun violence prevention.
As students fled campus Friday evening, many in tears and still in shock, the weight of what happened seemed to settle over Providence’s East Side. Finals week—typically marked by all-night study sessions and celebratory dinners—had instead become a nightmare that no one saw coming.
