A crazed gunman dressed in black stormed an engineering building at Brown University, killing at least two people and critically injuring eight others before escaping police and remaining at large, officials said.

The horrific mass shooting left the Ivy League campus and parts of the Rhode Island city of Providence under lockdown and in a state of terror as a desperate manhunt was underway.

Follow The Post’s live updates on the mass shooting at Brown University

“Sadly today is the day we prayed would never come,” said city Mayor Brett Smiley at an evening press conference, before announcing 10 people were transported to a local hospital — two declared dead on arrival and the other eight in critical but stable condition.

Authorities would not say whether the victims were students or faculty members. 

Police are responding to a report of an active shooter on the campus of Brown University, according to a report. AP

“There’s a lot of fear and anxiety. This is still early hours,” he said, adding law enforcement are still actively searching the campus’ engineering building, where the shootings occured, for additional victims.

Police received a call of an active shooter at the Rhode Island school around 4:05 p.m., the mayor said.

“Our officers responded and entered that building immediately and began searching for a suspect. However no suspect was located at that time,” said Tim O’Hara, Providence’s deputy police chief. 

There was initially confusion over whether a suspect had been captured, with officials initially saying someone was in custody — and President Trump also saying in a social media post that the shooter was captured — before the report was retracted and it was confirmed the attacker was at large.

The alleged suspect has been identified as a male dressed in black and used a handgun in the attack, according to authorities.

“It is unknown how he entered the building,” O’Hara said, adding the suspect fled the building on foot, according to eyewitness accounts that were shared with police.

Unconfirmed reports of up to 20 casualties, according to police scanner audio shared on social media. FOX

Police have not yet recovered a weapon, and don’t know what kind of firearm the shooter used.

“We just know that it was a firearm. What type of firearm, we’re unaware of,” O’Hara said.

The Ivy League school sent out a first alert to students on campus shortly after 4:20 p.m. of an active shooter near the Barus & Holley Engineering school building.

Providence police were the first to confirm multiple people were shot.

Students appear take shelter inside a building at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday. WJAR

“Multiple shot in the area of Brown University. This is an active investigation. Please shelter in place or avoid the area until further notice,” the PD said on X.

The university sent out a second emergency alert just before 5 p.m. claiming a suspect had been arrrested before retracting that statement just minutes later. 

Brett Smiley updates media on the ongoing investigation at Brown University.

“One suspect in custody. Lock doors, silence phones and stay hidden until further notice,” the university wrote.

“Continue to shelter in place. Remain away from Barus & Holley area. Police do not have a suspect in custody and continue to search for suspect(s),” the retraction added.

The Rhode Island Ivy League school sent out a first alert to students on campus shortly after 4:20 p.m. of an active shooter near the Barus & Holley Engineering school building. Anadolu via Getty Images

An individual who was preliminarily thought to be involved was detained by police, but “later found not to be involved,” the mayor explained, adding the campus remains under shelter in place orders, as of Saturday night.

“It was honestly quite terrifying,” student Katie Sun, who was studying in the Engineering Research Center lobby when she heard gunshots around 4:10pm, told the The Brown Daily Herald, the school’s newspaper. “The shots seemed like they were coming from … where the classrooms are.”

Emergency personnel gather at Hope and Waterman Streets at Brown University in Providence, R.I., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, during reports of a shooting. AP

Officials said that a swipe card was required to enter the building, but because of finals lots of people were coming and going.

“Anybody could have accessed the building at that time,” Smiley said. 

After officials said 8 victims were in critical but stable condition Brown University Health hospital one is in critical and not stable and one is now in stable, NBC news said.

Saturday was the second day of final exams for the fall semester. 

Several buildings across campus have been put on lockdown. 

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Sun said she evacuated the building, leaving behind her belongings, and ran to her dorm.

Video footage obtained by the student paper showed police officers assisting several victims on the ground near the Sciences Library.

Law enforcement officials gather near Brown University in Providence, R.I., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, during the investigation of a shooting. AP

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said his office is actively monitoring the shooting and working with law enforcement.

“Praying for our community,” he wrote on X.

“The unthinkable has happened,” he said at the press conference.

Brown is coordinating with multiple law enforcement agencies on site and emergency medical services are on scene, according to the university. 

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