Brown University shooting: Two killed, nine injured as FBI releases suspect footage, manhunt launched

Suspect on the run. (screengrab: X/FBI)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released the first footage of a person of interest in the Brown University shooting, after investigators said they had no concrete leads for more than six hours following the attack.

The grainy video shows a suspect dressed in black walking past a traffic light. The individual’s face is not visible. The FBI urged the public to come forward with any information. “Help find this Person of Interest. If you have any information, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or http://tips.fbi.gov,” the agency said.

Help find this Person of Interest. If you have any information, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or https://t.co/iL7sD5efWD. pic.twitter.com/AkFDVtOCmw

— FBI (@FBI) December 14, 2025

The shooting, which took place in the afternoon inside Brown University’s Barus & Holley building in Providence, Rhode Island, left two people dead and at least nine injured.

The seven-storey building houses the university’s School of Engineering and Physics department and includes more than 100 laboratories, along with classrooms and offices. Engineering design exams were underway at the time of the attack, according to the university.

Police said the gunfire erupted inside a first-floor classroom. Investigators are still trying to determine how the shooter accessed the room. Providence’s mayor said the building’s exterior doors were unlocked, but classrooms being used for final exams could only be entered with badge access.

Soon after the first reports of gunfire, Brown University issued an emergency alert warning of an active shooter and ordered students and staff to shelter in place. Across the Ivy League campus, students hid in darkened rooms as police launched a massive manhunt.

“We closed the door, had the lights off, and went under desks,” the New York Times quoted Chiang-Heng Chien, a doctoral student, as saying. “We don’t know where we’re supposed to go now. We brought nothing with us,” Chien added after hours of hiding just a block away from the scene.

Within minutes, sirens, helicopters and flashing lights flooded the area. Armed officers in tactical gear combed streets lined with Victorian homes, while ambulances and armoured vehicles blocked key roads. More than 400 law enforcement personnel were deployed as the search stretched late into the night.

University authorities initially told students and staff that a suspect had been detained, but later clarified that no one was in custody. The mayor said an individual who was briefly held had been cleared of any involvement in the shooting.

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee described the incident as “a nightmare,” echoing the shock and fear felt across campus. As the shelter-in-place order continued and the gunman remained at large, students preparing for final exams said confusion and anxiety replaced their usual academic stress, with many relying on social media for updates that often proved conflicting.