A gunman opened fire at Brown University during final exams, killing two people and injuring eight.
Police carried out an hours-long search across the campus and nearby neighbourhoods as the suspect remained at large.
Authorities said the shooting occurred in the engineering building and involved a handgun.
At least two people were killed and eight others were injured when a gunman opened fire at Brown University in the US state of Rhode Island on Sunday, as final examinations were under way on the Ivy League campus, prompting a prolonged police search for the suspect, according to AP.
The shooting took place in the Barus and Holley building, which houses Brown’s School of Engineering and physics department. Engineering design exams were in progress at the time, AP reported. Authorities said the suspect, described as a man dressed in dark clothing, was last seen leaving the engineering building after the attack.
Police fanned out across the campus and into a nearby affluent residential area marked by historic brick homes, checking academic buildings, backyards and porches for several hours after the incident. Nearly five hours later, officers in tactical gear escorted students out of some campus buildings and into a fitness centre, according to AP.
Timothy O’Hara, Deputy Chief of Police, said the suspect was a male wearing dark clothes. Authorities believe the shooter used a handgun, a law enforcement official said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Eight people with gunshot wounds were taken to Rhode Island Hospital. Six were listed as critical but stable, one was in critical condition and another was stable, said hospital spokesperson Kelly Brennan.
University officials initially informed students and staff that a suspect had been taken into custody, but later clarified that this was incorrect. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said a person who was preliminarily thought to be involved had been detained but was later found to have no connection to the shooting.
A shelter-in-place order was imposed, with Smiley urging residents near the campus to remain indoors and not return home until authorities lifted the restriction. “We have all available resources” searching for the suspect, the mayor said.
Emma Ferraro, a chemical engineering student, said she was working in the engineering building’s lobby on a final project when she heard loud popping sounds from the east side of the building. Realising they were gunshots, she ran to a nearby building, where she remained for several hours.
Brown senior and biochemistry student Alex Bruce said he was working on a final research project in his dormitory across the street when he heard sirens and received an active shooter alert shortly after 4 pm. “I’m just in here shaking,” he said, watching armed officers surround his building as he worried about a friend he believed was inside the engineering complex.
Students in a nearby laboratory hid under desks and switched off the lights after receiving alerts about the shooting, said Chiangheng Chien, a doctoral engineering student who was about a block away.
Mari Camara, a 20-year-old junior from New York City, said she rushed into a taqueria near the campus after leaving the library and spent more than three hours sheltering there while police searched the area. “Everyone is the same as me, shocked and terrified that something like this happened,” she said.
Democratic Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee called the shooting “unthinkable”. The state has some of the strictest gun laws in the US. Earlier this year, the Democratic-controlled legislature passed an assault weapons ban that will prohibit the sale and manufacture of certain high-powered firearms from next July, though possession will remain legal.
President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the incident. “All we can do right now is pray for the victims,” he told reporters at the White House, adding, “It’s a shame.”
The FBI said it was assisting local authorities with the response.
(With inputs from AP)
