A person of interest is in custody in connection with the Brown University shooting that killed two students and injured nine, officials said Sunday.
Authorities believe the person detained Sunday morning is in their 30s but declined to release further details, Providence Police Department Chief Oscar Perez said at a news briefing. Officials lifted a shelter-in-place order for Brown and the surrounding area after a manhunt that brought the Rhode Island city to a halt.
The Saturday afternoon shooting unfolded in a busy academic building and rattled the campus during finals season. Students barricaded themselves in dorm rooms and classrooms after the shooter fled.
Twenty students sheltered in a Trader Joe’s break room, where workers fed them pizza and salad, and other snacks until about 16 of them could be moved to local hotels, according to the store captain, Linda Iannitti.
“It was surreal to see the city that empty,” she said. Nine students wound up at the Hampton Inn Seekonk, which was already packed with weekend visitors, said general manager Michael Brightman.
Ilyas Sheikh-Mohamud, 21, sheltered behind a counter at Chipotle Mexican Grill after seeing police cars streaming down the street around 4 p.m. on Saturday. He stayed there for hours with his co-workers and a Brown student.
“It was pretty scary honestly. We didn’t know what was going on,” he said. Back at work on Sunday morning, he said he had to throw out food that employees weren’t able to clean up while sheltering in place.
Early Sunday, small groups of students walked around the quiet, snow-dusted campus. Police were still blocking off some streets. Parts of the campus remain an active crime scene, according to the university.
“Everybody is reeling and we have a lot of recovery ahead of us,” Brown President Christina Paxson said at the news briefing.
She said she believed the shooting happened inside a final exam review for a principles of economics class. About 80% of the class are freshmen and 13% are sophomores, according to the school. The university said it was canceling all remaining final exams and papers.
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee attends a press conference following a shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Students walk on campus the morning after Brown University was locked down amid reports of a shooting on campus in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said of the nine injured victims, seven were in stable condition, one was in critical but stable condition and one was discharged.
He said additional law-enforcement officers would be in the area but those in the city should feel safer.
“The people of Providence should breathe a little easier this morning,” he said.
Providence police said authorities received multiple tips after releasing a video of a suspect dressed in black and walking on a sidewalk.
Write to Alyssa Lukpat at alyssa.lukpat@wsj.com , Neil Mehta at neil.mehta@wsj.com and Jared Mitovich at jared.mitovich@wsj.com
