Two people are killed and nine wounded as a shooting shatters calm at Brown University during exams

A massive manhunt has ended with a person in custody after a shooting at Brown University killed at least two people and injured nine others, turning a routine exam period into a scene of fear and chaos on one of America’s most prestigious campuses.

Authorities confirmed on Sunday that a person of interest, believed to be in their 30s, has been detained following hours of intensive searches across the Ivy League university in Providence, Rhode Island. Police said they are no longer looking for any additional suspects. Officials declined to confirm where the individual was arrested or whether the person had any direct connection to the university.

The shooting erupted on Saturday inside the Barus & Holley building, a seven storey complex that houses Brown’s engineering and physics departments. Final exams were under way when the gunfire began, sending students scrambling for safety and prompting an immediate lockdown of the campus.

University leaders confirmed that ten of those shot were students. It remains unclear whether one of the injured victims, who later presented at hospital, was also a student. A hospital spokesperson said one person remains in critical condition, while six others required intensive care treatment.

Law enforcement officials said the suspect was dressed entirely in black and used a handgun during the attack. Investigators believe more than 40 rounds were fired. Security footage captured the suspect walking away from the engineering building, although their face was not visible. Police released the footage as part of their appeal for information, while officers continued searching buildings and even inspecting rubbish bins hours after the shooting.

Questions remain over how the shooter gained access to the classroom where the attack occurred. While the outer doors of the building were unlocked, rooms being used for final exams required badge access, adding to the mystery investigators are now working to resolve.

Providence Police Chief confirmed at a news conference that a person of interest is now in custody and that authorities believe the immediate threat has passed. Earlier confusion added to the distress, after university officials initially told students and staff that a suspect had been detained, only to later retract that statement when it emerged the individual held had no involvement.

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee described the incident as “unthinkable” and said all available resources had been deployed to identify and detain the person responsible. He praised the swift response of law enforcement and emergency services, while acknowledging the deep shock felt across the state.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley called the shooting heartbreaking, saying the city and university were united in grief. He said the community’s priorities were to bring the individual responsible to justice and to support the victims and their families during an agonising time. With Christmas little more than a week away, he noted that families across the country were anxiously calling loved ones connected to the university.

Nearly five hours after the shooting, armed officers in tactical gear escorted students from locked down buildings to a fitness centre, where they were reunited with friends and offered support. Roads around the campus remained cordoned off on Sunday as investigators continued their work.

President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the shooting and urged the public to pray for the victims and those seriously injured, calling the attack a terrible tragedy.

Brown University, the seventh oldest higher education institution in the United States, is home to more than 7,300 undergraduates and over 3,000 graduate students. The shooting has once again ignited debate around gun violence, even in states like Rhode Island, which has some of the strictest gun laws in the country.

As the investigation continues, the campus remains subdued, with a community struggling to process how a place of learning became the site of deadly violence.