Providence, R.I. — A quiet Saturday afternoon on Brown University’s College Hill campus dissolved into fear and confusion around 4:20 p.m. when emergency alerts began flooding phones and screens across the Ivy League school: there was an active shooter near the Barus & Holley Engineering building. Students, faculty and visitors were immediately thrust into lockdown mode as police and first responders descended on the scene.
The first BrownUAlert was stark and urgent: “There’s an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering. Lock doors, silence phones and stay hidden until further notice.” It reminded everyone of the now-familiar guidance of Run, Hide, Fight — urging those in danger to flee if possible, hide if not, and only fight as a last resort. That message set the tone for what would become hours of uncertainty for a campus community already stressed by the end-of-semester environment.
Within minutes, law enforcement from the Providence Police Department and Rhode Island State Police were on site, sealing parts of the campus, clearing buildings and trying to ascertain what had happened. Witnesses and university news outlets reported a heavy presence of police cruisers, SWAT units and emergency medical personnel around Barus & Holley and the nearby Thayer Street area, one of the city’s busiest pedestrian corridors.
Conflicting information quickly rippled through the alerts. At one point, a follow-up message suggested a suspect might have been taken into custody, bringing a brief glimmer of hope to those stranded inside classrooms and dorms. But that was later clarified — officials said there was no confirmed arrest yet and that the search for the gunman or gunmen was ongoing. These mixed reports added to the tension and fear felt by students and locals alike.
Details about injuries and victims remain unclear, as authorities have not yet released official casualty figures. Preliminary reports from local news outlets and community chatter suggested multiple victims, though these numbers have not been confirmed by police or university officials. Some unverified accounts circulating online even referenced more than a dozen people hurt, though such figures should be treated cautiously until verified.
The lockdown extended across the campus and surrounding streets for hours, with students hunkered down in classrooms, offices and homes, waiting for updates. Parents and loved ones anxiously tracked alerts and checked in with friends, often sharing snippets of information and pleas for safety across social media. Entire neighborhoods near Brown and the adjacent Rhode Island School of Design became eerily quiet as authorities worked the scene.
As night fell, Brown University and Providence police urged the public to avoid the area and heed official updates only. The investigation is active and ongoing, and officials have promised to share more details as they become available. For now, the campus remains on edge — a community shaken in the shadow of a day that should have been ordinary.
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