Two killed, nine wounded in Brown University classroom shooting

On the afternoon of Saturday, December 13, 2025, a gunman opened fire inside a classroom in Brown University’s Barus and Holley engineering and physics building, killing two people and wounding nine others during final exam activity. Providence Police posted on the social platform X at 5:33 p.m. Eastern Time saying "multiple people shot in the area of Brown University." Students and staff were ordered to shelter in place as campus police and Providence first responders converged on the east side of campus.

Witnesses described sudden gunfire during an exam review session. Multiple on-site photographs and reporting showed students sheltering in classrooms and first responders arriving at the building entrance. Officials and witnesses described the shooter as a male dressed in black. Initial statements from city officials said the suspect remained at large as evening fell, and later law enforcement updates indicated a person of interest was taken into custody. Authorities have not released a name, formal charges, or a confirmed motive as of this writing, and investigators have characterized details about the weapon and the sequence of events as under active investigation.

The attack unfolded at a moment of maximum vulnerability in a densely scheduled academic calendar. Barus and Holley houses large lecture rooms and laboratories, and the shooting took place during the second day of final examinations for the fall semester. That timing has amplified scrutiny of access controls in academic buildings during exams, the placement and adequacy of campus security personnel, and the effectiveness of mass notification systems in fast moving incidents.

Brown University issued multiple alerts urging shelter and lockdown and coordinated with Providence Police and emergency medical services during the response. The university’s rapid messaging helped reach large portions of the campus population quickly, but student accounts and subsequent reviews will test whether communication protocols reached all affected classrooms in time. Municipal and campus authorities will also face questions about perimeter control and the resources available to staff first on scene, including whether campus police had equipment and training matched to an active shooter scenario.

The shooting is likely to reverberate beyond immediate campus safety reviews. At the state level, the incident will intensify debate over firearm regulation and enforcement, mental health services, and funding priorities for public safety on college campuses. Local elected officials may encounter renewed pressure to outline policy responses as investigators provide more information. For students and faculty the impact will be immediate and personal, affecting finals, graduation timelines, and campus life in the months ahead.

Public officials have urged the community to await official updates from Providence Police and Brown University for names, charges, and investigative findings. In the coming days investigators will release forensic details and a timeline that will determine whether policy changes follow, and how universities and cities adapt procedures meant to prevent and mitigate mass violence in educational settings.