December 14, 1:54am:

BrownUAlert: Law enforcement officers continue to evacuate community members from administrative buildings inside the perimeter depicted on the map published at http://www.brown.edu (below). For all locations (inside and outside the perimeter), the shelter in place remains ongoing. Please see the president's email and Brown.edu for a message with additional details. 

December 14, 1:53am:

Dear Brown Community,

I know the passing hours of this emergency have been filled with stress and anxiety for many in our community. This is an unimaginably tragic day —a day that no university community is ever prepared for. While we prepare for major crises, we always pray this day never comes. This is a time for our campus to care for each other and support each other.

As we have moved into the early-morning hours, Brown remains under a shelter-in-place order, and I know that many members of our community have questions about what this means for them. I am writing to provide information, while recognizing that this still remains a fluid situation. I encourage all members of our community to continue watching RAVE alerts and the Brown.edu website for updates about this ongoing emergency.

While the shelter in place order remains in effect, students who are in residence halls should remain there. Sheltering in place at this stage means staying indoors. Students in off-campus residences are advised to remain there until the lockdown is lifted. Students who were in Barus & Holley or in other academic and administrative buildings within the perimeter established by police as part of the active police scene have been and continue to be evacuated by RIPTA buses provided by the City of Providence and Brown shuttles to our Olney-Margolies Athletic Center (OMAC). Students in OMAC are receiving specific instructions from staff on-site about remaining on-site or leaving the area, depending on whether their destination is within or outside the perimeter established by police.

Providence Police have advised that our campus must remain on lockdown. It is an active police scene, and the priority is to keep everyone safe. All members of the campus community will receive an alert notifying students, faculty and staff when the shelter in place order is lifted. Until then, we advise parents and families not to travel to the Brown campus. This is for their safety.

As we look ahead to the next 24 hours, faculty members who had exams scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 14, informed their classes Saturday evening that there will be no scheduled exams Sunday. More information about academic matters will be forthcoming on Sunday morning.

Non-emergency staff who were scheduled for an overnight shift were informed to stand down and informed that they should not report to work for their shift while the shelter-in-place order remains in place.

I can confirm that the nine members of our community who were transported to local hospitals are all students. And we lost two students to today’s devastating gun violence. Our hearts go out to them. This is a day of tremendous sorrow. No parent or family member should ever have to endure a day like this.

We learned from the hospital that six students remain in critical but stable condition. One student is in critical condition, another is considered in stable condition, and one was treated and released. Our full focus right now is on our community, their safety and providing support for the victims and their families. I am not able to share further information about the shooting victims at this time.

We have reached out to the families of all the students and are offering any support we can. I have spoken to some of them and expect to speak to others soon. We stand ready to give them anything they need.

I want to thank every member of our community for every kindness, shoulder to lean on, and gesture of support that I know will come in the hours and days ahead as we work together as a community to be there for one another.

Sincerely,
Christina H. Paxson
President

December 13, 11:06pm:

BrownUAlert: Law enforcement agencies have established a perimeter around a portion of Brown’s campus, as depicted on a map published at http://www.brown.edu (below). Individuals already in residential buildings within the perimeter should continue to shelter in place there. Police will enter all administrative (non-residential) buildings within the perimeter marked by the red boxes on the map to escort all individuals to safe locations outside of the perimeter. All individuals inside administrative buildings within the perimeter should continue to shelter in place until law enforcement officers arrive. For all locations (inside and outside the perimeter), the shelter in place remains ongoing — unless escorted by a law enforcement officer, this means ensuring no movement across or near campus.

December 13, 9:29pm:

BrownUAlert: The Brown campus continues to be in lockdown, and it is imperative that all members of our community remain sheltered in place. This means keeping all doors locked and ensuring no movement across campus. The law enforcement response remains ongoing. Safety is the utmost and essential priority.

December 13, 8:28pm:

BrownUAlert: The Brown campus continues to be in lockdown, and it is imperative that all members of our community remain sheltered in place. This means keeping all doors locked and ensuring no movement across campus. The law enforcement response remains ongoing. Safety is the utmost and essential priority.

December 13, 7:38pm:

Dear Brown Community,

This is a deeply tragic day for Brown, our families and our local community. There are truly no words that can express the deep sorrow we are feeling for the victims of the shooting that took place today at the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building.

We lost two community members today who were fatal victims of the shooting, and at this point, we know there are at least eight additional victims who were transported to the hospital. In this moment, they are in critical but stable condition, but this is an evolving situation. Our hearts are with their families.

Our Department of Public Safety has been working closely with law enforcement and has been informed that the suspect is still at large and the situation remains active. We know this is a source of tremendous fear and anxiety across our community right now. While DPS was at one point informed that there was an individual in custody, that person was determined not to be the shooting suspect after questioning. Therefore, we urge all members of our community to remain vigilant. We continue to be in lockdown, and it is imperative that all members of our community remain sheltered in place. This means keeping all doors locked and ensuring no movement across campus.

We know our community wants answers, and we will provide them as soon as we can. For now, please know we are doing all we can to keep our community safe and have mobilized support for the students and their families. I encourage you to read the updates being provided via the RAVE alert system and Brown.edu website about this emergency. We are committed to providing updates as soon as information is available.

As we have shared in the alerts, law enforcement is actively working to identify the community members who lost their lives, and we are working with local hospitals to identify those transported for care. Even when we have that information, we may not be able to release it to our campus immediately. Whether or not you spend any time in Barus & Holley, I ask all students, faculty and staff to please be in touch directly with your families to let them know you are safe. They are worried about you.

This is a day that we hoped never would come to our community. It is deeply devastating for all of us. We are grateful to law enforcement for their immediate response and their ongoing work to ensure the safety of our community. Please continue to take all steps to be safe.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson 
President

December 13, 7:30pm:

BrownUAlert: Situation remains ongoing. Continue to shelter in place. Law enforcement remains on site.

December 13, 6:33pm:

Brown Community,

We are providing an update to the active shooting situation. We are very sorry to share that we have confirmed reports of two deceased victims from the active shooting situation at the Barus & Holley engineering building.

There are eight additional victims in critical, but stable condition at the hospital. There remains a shelter in place order. The shooter or shooters still are not in custody at this time. Law enforcement is active in the area.

We know there is a lot of fear and concern and uncertainty in the community right now. Law enforcement is actively working to identify the deceased victims, and the hospital personnel also are working to identify those transported to the hospital.

As a reminder, please continue to take all steps to remain safe. Follow the instructions of law enforcement personnel and avoid the area. The safety of our community is foremost.

Any students or Brown community members who were in Barus & Holley at the time of the incident are being asked to contact police if they already have left Barus & Holley.  

December 13, 6:10pm:

BrownUAlert: Active Shooter: The earlier report of a secondary shooting incident near Governor Street is unfounded. However, it remains critical to continue to shelter in place due to the original situation. Stay tuned for further safety information.

December 13, 6:05pm:

At 4:22 p.m., we alerted our campus to an active shooter incident near Barus & Holley Engineering. We immediately informed our community to shelter in place by locking doors, silencing phones and staying hidden until further notice. We have been providing further information to our community as and when it becomes available, but this remains an active crime scene, and law enforcement continues to search for the suspect. The situation is ongoing, and all members of the community should continue to shelter in place.

We are very sorry to share that we have confirmed reports of multiple shooting victims, but we do not yet have information about their condition that we are in a position to share. They have been transported to local hospitals.

Our first priority is the safety of our community and coordinating closely with local law enforcement and medical personnel to ensure their safety. We are working immediately to determine who was in the building at the time of the shooting. We had multiple exams scheduled in that building from 2 pm to 5 pm. We can confirm that support services are on site. We have also relocated students to get support services at a secure location.

Senior administrative leaders from across the University are convened in emergency command to mobilize ongoing response and support for our community. We are establishing support for our community and families.

We have been and continue to be very grateful to law enforcement and emergency medical personnel. Please continue to take all steps to remain safe. Follow the instructions of law enforcement personnel and avoid the area.

December 13, 5:52pm:

BrownUAlert: Urgent: Situation remains ongoing. Continue to shelter in place. Law enforcement on site.

December 13, 5:27pm:

BrownUAlert: Urgent: Report of shots fired near Governor street. Continue to shelter in place. Stay clear. Law enforcement responding. 

December 13, 5:11pm:

BrownUAlert: Urgent: 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). Brown coordinating with multiple law enforcement agencies on site. Emergency medical on scene. Stay tuned for further safety information.

December 13, 4:22pm:

BrownUAlert: 1st, Urgent: There's an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering. Lock doors, silence phones and stay stay hidden until further notice. Remember: RUN, if you are in the affected location, evacuate safely if you can; HIDE, if evacuation is not possible, take cover;  FIGHT, as a last resort, take action to protect yourself.  Stay tuned for further safety information.

About the Emergency Information website

This website — Brown’s Emergency Information website — is the official source for information from the University about emergencies affecting campus. In the event of an emergency, this site will be updated continually with information about the nature of the emergency, how to remain safe and the status of campus operations. Updates on weather conditions that affect campus operations are posted to the site as well.

In the absence of an emergency, general information and resources are included below.

What to expect in an emergency

In the event of an emergency, please continue to check this page for updates. Details included on this page during an emergency will include:

• Information and updates about the nature of the emergency
• Steps being taken to address the emergency
• Current status, with cumulative chronology
• Any necessary instructions for the University community
• Resources for further information

In any emergency, Brown’s chief priority will be the safety of students, faculty, staff and affected community members. Other priorities include the mitigation of damage; communication with members of the University community; and recovery and restoration of academic and research operations.

How to ensure that you’ll receive emergency alerts

During emergency situations, the University will deliver alerts and instructions to Brown community members via mobile phones and other communications platforms. To ensure that Brown can reach you, students, faculty and staff should provide their mobile phone number for use during emergencies. Personal mobile phone numbers will only be used by authorized personnel for emergencies or official business.

To make sure your information is up to date:

• Brown students: provide your mobile phone number in Banner.
• Brown faculty and staff: provide your mobile phone number in Workday.