Providence Police Deputy Chief Tim O’Hara urged residents of the area where the shooting occurred to check footage from doorbell cameras for “anything that appears suspicious.”

He added that police authorities are also seeking relevant visual material from security cameras, as investigations continue to locate the perpetrator.

As authorities currently have no information about the shooter’s location, the “shelter in place” order that has been issued applies to the entire university community, including those living in the broader area around the campus.

The first description of the perpetrator

Eyewitnesses describe the suspect as a man wearing black clothing who fled through an exit of the campus. There have been reports of gunfire and police engagement, possibly with the suspect, at a considerable distance from the site of the attack.

No weapons have been found on campus; however, authorities believe that a firearm was used in the incident.

Trump: Let us pray for the victims and those seriously injured

“The only thing we can do now is pray for the victims and for those who were seriously injured.” “It’s a shame. It’s a shame,” was President Trump’s first statement regarding the bloody attack.

What the university president said

The deadly shooting on Saturday took place in the Barus and Holley building at Brown University, according to Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.

As he said during a press conference on Saturday night, the building houses classrooms and laboratory spaces used by the university’s Engineering and Physics departments. The building was constructed in 1965 and, according to Brown University’s official website, includes a total of 117 laboratories, 150 offices, 15 classrooms, 29 teaching laboratories, and three lecture halls.

Brown University President Francis Doyle called on the university community to continue to “shelter in place” in “the broader area of the campus,” as authorities work to determine who was inside the building at the time of the shooting and what the full impact of the tragedy is.

As he stated at the press conference, final exams were taking place at the time of the events, between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

“We have moved students to a safe location where they can receive support services, and we will provide more details later,” he added.

One of the top universities in the United States

Brown is among the leading research universities in the United States and belongs to the exclusive group of top higher education institutions in the country, the Ivy League.

It has a total of 11,005 students, of whom 7,272 are undergraduates, according to figures published on its official website.

Founded in 1764, it is the seventh-oldest college in the United States. Its undergraduate acceptance rate is just 5.4%, placing it among the most selective higher education institutions in the country.

In addition to its undergraduate program, the university has a Medical School, a School of Engineering, and a School of Public Health. It also maintains close collaboration with the neighboring Rhode Island School of Design, one of the world’s leading schools of fine arts and design.

A readiness drill had taken place a few months before the attack

Authorities had conducted a joint readiness drill just a few months before the shooting at the university, according to the head of the campus police, Rodney Chatman. The drill included participation from the university police, local police, as well as fire department and emergency response services.