At least 2 killed and several more hurt in shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE R I AP At least people were killed and several more injured in a shooting in the area of Brown University on Saturday a law enforcement official revealed as the Ivy League school issued an operational shooter alert and urged students and staff to take shelter during the second day of final exams Police did not promptly release details about the number of casualties their conditions or the circumstances of the shooting The official who gave the tally of at least two dead could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing research and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity University personnel initially notified students and staff that a suspect was in custody before later saying that was not the occurrence and that police were still searching for a suspect or persons of interest according to alerts issued through Brown s emergency notification system We re still getting information about what s going on but we re just telling people to lock their doors and to stay vigilant mentioned Providence Councilmember John Goncalves whose ward includes the Brown campus As a Brown alum someone who loves the Brown society and represents this area I m heartbroken My heart goes out to all the family members and the folks who ve been impacted The informed shooting occurred near the Barus Holley building a seven-story complex that houses the university s School of Engineering and physics department According to the university s website the building includes more than laboratories dozens of classrooms and offices Engineering design exams were underway in the building when the shooting occurred President Donald Trump noted late in the afternoon that he has been briefed on the shooting God bless the casualties and the families of the casualties he commented on his social media site Students were urged to shelter in place as police responded to the scene and people were informed to avoid the area A police officer warned media to take cover in vehicles because the area was still an ongoing scene Representatives cautioned that information remained preliminary as investigators worked to determine what had occurred Police were actively analyzing and still gathering information from the scene disclosed Kristy DosReis the chief general information officer for the city of Providence The FBI disclosed it was assisting in the response Brown is a private institution with roughly undergraduate students and more than graduate students Saturday was the second day of final exams for the fall semester