Rhode Island authorities said Sunday that police had detained a person of interest in Saturday’s mass shooting at Brown University that left two people dead and several others wounded.
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said the person of interest, described only as a man in his 30s, was detained early Sunday. Officials said the person of interest was taken into custody around 3:45 a.m. Sunday at a hotel in Coventry, about 20 miles southwest of Providence, the home of Brown University.
No charges against the individual were disclosed and the man’s potential connection to the college was not disclosed, but Chief Perez said no one else is being sought in the campus shooting that erupted Saturday afternoon during a final exam.
“There will be plenty of time to talk about what should happen, what should have happened, in our society,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said during a press conference early Sunday. “But right now our priorities remain the same as they were yesterday, which is to bring the individual responsible to justice.”
Mr. Smiley said 10 people hit by gunfire were students. Two of the students died of their injuries, while the others have stabilized after being wounded.
Another person was hit by bullet fragments, but it was unclear if they were a student, he said.
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Brown University lifted a shelter-in-place order on campus after the person of interest was apprehended by police.
The Ivy League campus canceled remaining finals for this semester in light of the attack, and told students they can return home for the holiday break.
“We continue to be in mourning as a community about the tragic loss of life from gun violence that stole the lives of two of our students yesterday, while one remains in critical but stable condition,” University President Christina Paxson said. “My goal is for our community to work together to get through this difficult time and feel safe on our campus again.”
Police said shots first rang out around 4:40 p.m. Saturday inside the Barus & Holley building, where Brown’s School of Engineering and physics classes are held.
Authorities said the gunman entered a lecture hall in the middle of the final exam before opening fire in the room. Law enforcement officials said the shooter fired more than 40 rounds into the classroom.
Surveillance footage showed a man, wearing all black, calmly leaving the building after the shooting and walking toward Hope Street.
The shooting spurred an 11-hour manhunt until the person of interest was tracked down outside city limits.
Emma Ferraro, a chemical engineering student, told The Associated Press she was in the building’s lobby working on a final project when she heard loud pops coming from the east side.
Once she realized they were gunshots, she darted for the door and ran to a nearby building where she sheltered for several hours.
Across the street from the engineering building, Brown senior biochemistry student Alex Bruce said he was working on a final research project in his dorm when he heard the blare of police sirens.
“I’m just in here shaking,” Mr. Bruce said, according to the Associated Press, as he observed armed officers swarm his building following the shooting.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
