RI - Mass Shooting at Brown University - Providence 13 Dec 2025

[gremlin444]

Live updates: 2 dead, 9 wounded in Brown University shooting; manhunt underway for shooter

An active shooter was reported on or near the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, the university’s public safety department said this afternoon.

www.nbcnews.com

"Final exams scheduled for tomorrow have been canceled, Brown University Provost Frank Doyle said during a news conference tonight."

Uh, sir. I think you're going to need to cancel more than that. Beyond the immense emotional trauma, there are some practicalities--many students are separated from their study materials (either having to leave them behind in a building as they evacuated or because they were away from their dorm/apt when the lockdown started and can't get back to them). Believe it or not, students do actually study on Saturday late afternoons/evenings during finals as well as Sunday morning. And the lockdown is still on....so, the longer it goes on, the longer normal routines are impacted. Kids who were in the engineering building at the time likely won't be able to access their belongings for days if not a week or more.

And if this person isn't captured soon, do you think anyone is going to feel safe while taking a final this week on campus? You can post security at every door, but if you have no idea who this person is or why they did it, you're going to need to have metal detectors there too and hope nothing slips past you.

And how many parents are going to insist on having their kid come home ASAP?

There are direct victims and survivors of high school shootings there at Brown--talk about massive PTSD. And that's not even taking into account the faculty/staff's emotions and trauma.

Edited to add, I'm seeing accounts of students who were evacuated from buildings without their keys or IDs who are getting help from community members to find lodging for the night.

 

[gremlin444]

He says a rifle? That is NOT a handgun.

MOO

I suspect that is a reporting error--I'm seeing some other factual errors and general lack of editing in the NYT updates.

 

[O.Incandenza]

More detail on NYT from the TA who was leading the econ study session in the room where some of the shooting happened:

Live Updates: 2 Killed and 9 Injured in Brown University Shooting

Hundreds of police officers were searching for the gunman after he escaped into the streets of Rhode Island’s capital, officials said.

www.nytimes.com

The session for the Principles of Economics class, scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in an engineering building on the Brown campus, was nearly over. “I was just teaching my review, like usual,” Mr. Oduro, a 21-year-old senior and teaching assistant, said in an interview.

A little after 4 p.m., he ended the session, which was to be his last time teaching that particular group of students, and said goodbye. “I was telling my students that I am so grateful for them,” he said.

As they stood to leave, he said, “all of a sudden, we heard gunshots and people screaming” in the hall outside.

About three seconds later, he said, a man with a face mask and a rifle entered the classroom and started shooting. The man screamed something that Mr. Oduro said was imperceptible. “That’s what the students and I — and the detectives — have been trying to piece together,” he said.


So, it sounds like the shooting began outside of that classroom if the TA's first alert was the sound of shots and screaming in the hall.

It was a large first floor lecture hall that can hold 186 people with rows of seats separated by aisles, similar to stadium seating.

The TA hid behind a desk with other students--one of them got shot in the leg.

The TA said many of the students taking the class are freshman.

If this is true, it sounds a lot more likely to be random than I had initially thought.

If the gunman was targeting someone in the classroom than it seems counterproductive to start shooting in the hallway. Plus, why wait until the very end of the review? It seems like it really could have just been someone targeting a random classroom on the first floor of the building. But I guess we will find out.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

I think one possible way of solving this is if this person goes on discord or somewhere and talks about it to his small group of 'believers.' I'm kind of leaning towards this being a 'statement' of some kind that he thinks he's making.

Interesting that they are not publicising what he shouted. Or are they and I missed it?

I agree with you.
So many hours after the shooting, if LE thought the guy was targeting a professor or another student, I feel certain they would have said that in a press conference. So often we get a very quick statement that the shooting targeted, but not this time
LE doesn’t know who this guy is and doesn’t know why he did this, which is why, I think, the police are still everywhere. They are really concerned there might be more to come, simply because they don’t know the motivation.

 

[MassGuy]

I suspect that is a reporting error--I'm seeing some other factual errors and general lack of editing in the NYT updates.

Either a reporting or a perception error on the witness' part.

May have been at a distance. The gun may have been obscured by the dark clothing. I think many people would assume rifle because a lot of the more recent high profile shootings have been committed with a rifle.

I don't believe it for a second though. Not with the amount of people in the area, relatively low casualty account, and his ability to quickly flee without being spotted (it would take time to break it down and stick it in his bag).

I see nothing in that video that indicates a long gun. I think he had the gun in his right pocket.

 

[Dotta]

More detail on NYT from the TA who was leading the econ study session in the room where some of the shooting happened:

Live Updates: 2 Killed and 9 Injured in Brown University Shooting

Hundreds of police officers were searching for the gunman after he escaped into the streets of Rhode Island’s capital, officials said.

www.nytimes.com

The session for the Principles of Economics class, scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in an engineering building on the Brown campus, was nearly over. “I was just teaching my review, like usual,” Mr. Oduro, a 21-year-old senior and teaching assistant, said in an interview.

A little after 4 p.m., he ended the session, which was to be his last time teaching that particular group of students, and said goodbye. “I was telling my students that I am so grateful for them,” he said.

As they stood to leave, he said, “all of a sudden, we heard gunshots and people screaming” in the hall outside.

About three seconds later, he said, a man with a face mask and a rifle entered the classroom and started shooting. The man screamed something that Mr. Oduro said was imperceptible. “That’s what the students and I — and the detectives — have been trying to piece together,” he said.


So, it sounds like the shooting began outside of that classroom if the TA's first alert was the sound of shots and screaming in the hall.

It was a large first floor lecture hall that can hold 186 people with rows of seats separated by aisles, similar to stadium seating.

The TA hid behind a desk with other students--one of them got shot in the leg.

The TA said many of the students taking the class are freshman.

"Screamed something imperceptible"??

Oh well...
I'm beginning to suspect some serious MH issues.

And also,
like others suggested,
the attack might have been random,
with no specific person in mind.
Just the easiest and most available room to enter and close to exit door.

Just the same old story - of school/mass shootings.

This is horrific.

RIP to the victims

JMO

 

[crhedBngr]

"Screamed something imperceptible"??

Oh well...
I'm beginning to suspect some serious MH issues.

And also,
like others suggested,
the attack might have been random,
with no specific person in mind.
Just the easiest and most available room to enter and close to exit door.

Just the same old story - of school/mass shootings.

This is horrific.

RIP to the victims

JMO

RBBM

I'm thinking this as well.

JMVHO.

 

[Ghostwheel]

They have to have more and better images than the single one released. I'm sure we will see more tomorrow when they get pieced together and that might help someone recognized the suspect.

 

[katydid23]

More detail on NYT from the TA who was leading the econ study session in the room where some of the shooting happened:

Live Updates: 2 Killed and 9 Injured in Brown University Shooting

Hundreds of police officers were searching for the gunman after he escaped into the streets of Rhode Island’s capital, officials said.

www.nytimes.com

The session for the Principles of Economics class, scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in an engineering building on the Brown campus, was nearly over. “I was just teaching my review, like usual,” Mr. Oduro, a 21-year-old senior and teaching assistant, said in an interview.

A little after 4 p.m., he ended the session, which was to be his last time teaching that particular group of students, and said goodbye. “I was telling my students that I am so grateful for them,” he said.

As they stood to leave, he said, “all of a sudden, we heard gunshots and people screaming” in the hall outside.

About three seconds later, he said, a man with a face mask and a rifle entered the classroom and started shooting. The man screamed something that Mr. Oduro said was imperceptible. “That’s what the students and I — and the detectives — have been trying to piece together,” he said.


So, it sounds like the shooting began outside of that classroom if the TA's first alert was the sound of shots and screaming in the hall.

It was a large first floor lecture hall that can hold 186 people with rows of seats separated by aisles, similar to stadium seating.

The TA hid behind a desk with other students--one of them got shot in the leg.

The TA said many of the students taking the class are freshman.

And in this^^ article it said he had A RIFLE.
Didn't the presser say it was a handgun he used?

OK---I see others already discussed this---possibly error by reporters or eyewitnesses?



As they stood to leave, he said, “all of a sudden, we heard gunshots and people screaming” in the hall outside.

About three seconds later, he said, a man with a face mask and a rifle entered the classroom and started shooting. The man screamed something that Mr. Oduro said was imperceptible. “That’s what the students and I — and the detectives — have been trying to piece together,” he said.

 

[crhedBngr]

Does anyone else think he's limping? To me, he looks like his right leg is giving him problems.

JMVHO.

 

[Rikissa]

Does anyone else think he's limping? To me, he looks like his right leg is giving him problems.

JMVHO.

The question is if it's a "natural" limp, or if he has some kind of knee brace on to change his normal gait. A knee brace would make it a bit difficult to stretch out the knee normally whrn walking.

 

[Rosegold68]

He could have injured himself in his rush to leave. Might just be a temp limp

 

[iamshadow21]

He could have injured himself in his rush to leave. Might just be a temp limp

Exactly. There's every reason for it not to be his normal gait, which is why I don't think it's useful as an identifier.

MOO

 

[Kaley Smith]

They have to have more and better images than the single one released. I'm sure we will see more tomorrow when they get pieced together and that might help someone recognized the suspect.

While it's just the back of the person, a close family member or friend could quite easily identify the shape and gait of the suspect in my opinion. Just think of your father, brother, nephew or son. You would know him, even from the back, wouldn't you?

 

[Rosegold68]

Well Richard Allen’s gait was never picked up on so I’m not convinced really

 

[sds71]

Providence Police tell @NBC10 they have a *person of interest* in custody this morning after a gunman opened fire in a classroom in the Engineering building at Brown University around 4pm yesterday

Brown University posted the following notice at 5:42 a.m.:

"Providence police have advised the University that the shelter in place order has ended for the entire Brown campus. However, police activity continues in areas that are still considered an active crime scene. Be advised that access to these areas of campus continues to be limited."

https://twitter.com/x/status/2000153603047338191

Providence police say person of interest in custody in Brown University shooting

Providence police tell NBC 10's Dan Jaehnig that they have a person of interest in custody in the shooting at Brown University.

turnto10.com

 

[brib809]

I'm not convinced of the usefulness of gait in identification. I'm struggling to think of a case where it actually helped.

I believe far more useful will be witness statements from the room he attacked, if this was indeed personally motivated, and the footage showing his movements before and after.

MOO

Agreed. Honestly analyzing the minute details of that relatively low quality video are likely next to useless outside of maybe guessing an approximate size of the subject.

 

[justtrish]

https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/providence/person-of-interest-in-custody-in-deadly-brown-university-shooting/

Person of interest apprehended at a hotel in Coventry about 345am. Press conference set for 7am,

 

[Tealgrove]

He’s a pretty cool customer. He’s walking calmly and confidently. He’s not running and jumping the wall or anything.

That gait should provoke some tips.

Also looks like a white badge on the right arm of his jacket.

 

[justtrish]

I googled the distance between the location he was apprehended and Brown University and it's roughly 18 miles on I95. So this person either doesn't live in the area and had a hotel, or does live in the area and didn't want to go home after. Odd if he isn't from the area that he stayed so close instead of getting further away.

This makes me wonder if he took an uber or something vs having a vehicle to get away in. I would think he would want to get as far away as possible.