On the afternoon of December 13, 2025, Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, became the latest site of a tragic mass shooting, leaving two students dead and nine others wounded. The violence, which erupted in the Barus and Holley engineering building during final exams, has sent shockwaves through the Ivy League campus and the wider community, as authorities continue their search for the gunman responsible.
According to multiple reports, including those from BBC, Axios, and The New York Times, the attack unfolded just after 4:00 p.m. local time. Students were gathered for a final exam review session in an economics class when a man, dressed in black and possibly wearing a camouflage grey mask, entered the classroom and opened fire. The university's president, Christina Paxson, confirmed that the shooting occurred while students were either taking exams or seeking quiet places to study in the building.
"He said that the shooter came in the doors, yelled something - he couldn't remember what he yelled - and started shooting," economics professor Rachel Friedberg recounted to Ocean State Radio, relaying the account of her teaching assistant who was present in the room. "Students started to scramble to try to get away from the shooter, trying to get lower down in the stadium seating, and people got shot."
The immediate aftermath was chaotic and terrifying. Students received emergency alerts instructing them to lock doors, silence phones, and stay hidden. Many barricaded themselves in classrooms, libraries, and dorm rooms; others took shelter in the basement of a local tea shop. Owen Fick, a junior, described seeing "a lot of ambulances, a lot of cop cars, fire trucks. They just had a lot of gurneys." First-year student Annelise Mages recalled barricading doors with whiteboards and chairs, then waiting hours before police escorted her group to safety.
Within hours, the campus was swarming with heavily armed police and emergency responders. Officers searched academic buildings, nearby homes, and the surrounding affluent neighborhood. Around 2,000 students were relocated to safe locations as the university imposed a lockdown that lasted into the next day. Ambulances lined Hope Street, and the scene was described as one of confusion and fear.
The two students killed have been identified as Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, and Ella Cook, 19. Umurzokov, a naturalized American citizen originally from Uzbekistan, had come to the U.S. in 2011 for medical treatment and aspired to become a neurosurgeon. His sisters told The New York Times that he chose Brown for its financial aid and worked over the summer to buy a computer. Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, was vice president of the College Republicans at Brown and known for her intelligence and kindness. The group released a statement saying, "We are devastated to learn of the loss of our Brown College Republicans Vice President... her bold, brave and kind heart will be missed."
The nine other individuals wounded in the attack were mostly students, though one person was reportedly injured by fragments and their student status was unclear. Among the injured was Kendall Turner, a Durham Academy alumna from North Carolina, whose former school expressed support and sympathy for her and the Brown community.
As of December 16, the search for the gunman remains ongoing. The suspect, described as a male in his 30s, dressed in black, was last seen leaving the engineering building. Security footage released by police shows the back of a man walking away, his face obscured. Authorities have acknowledged a lack of surveillance cameras inside the building, which has hampered efforts to identify the attacker. "There just weren’t a lot of cameras in that Brown building," Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha told reporters. Law enforcement officials have canvassed neighboring streets and homes, seeking any additional video evidence that might lead to the suspect.
Initially, police detained a person of interest on December 14 but released them that evening after evidence pointed in a different direction. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and Attorney General Neronha confirmed the release, with Neronha stating, "It can never be too fast, particularly for the victims and their families and parents, but sometimes, investigations take a little bit of time." The authorities have not named any other suspects or discussed possible motives, and have urged the public to remain vigilant.
Brown University, which has more than 11,000 students and is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the U.S., canceled all remaining in-person exams and classes for the semester. President Paxson expressed her sorrow and support for the families of the victims: "There are not enough words of comfort for families who lose a child, but we will do all we can." She also praised the resilience of students and the generosity of locals who opened their homes to those in need of shelter.
The shooting at Brown marks the 389th mass shooting in the United States in 2025, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines such events as incidents with four or more victims killed or injured, excluding the attacker. The frequency of these tragedies has left many students and officials grappling with a sense of vulnerability and frustration. Providence Mayor Smiley noted after meeting with a wounded student that active shooter drills in high school had helped them respond during the crisis, adding, "We shouldn’t have to do active shooter drills, but it helped... and the reason we do these drills is because it’s so damn frequent."
National leaders have also weighed in. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters upon returning to the White House, described the shooting as "a terrible thing" and offered prayers for the victims and those badly hurt. Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee called the event "an unthinkable nightmare," emphasizing the lasting impact on families and the community.
The investigation continues, with police and federal agents working to gather evidence and identify the perpetrator. For now, the Brown University community mourns the loss of two promising students and supports those recovering from injuries, all while grappling with the grim reality of gun violence on American campuses.
As Providence and the nation await answers, the aftermath of the shooting has left deep scars and difficult questions about safety, preparedness, and the enduring toll of mass shootings in the United States.
