The quiet of a Saturday night at Brown University shattered as gunfire erupted, leaving a trail of tragedy and fear in its wake. Two lives were lost, and nine others wounded, when a shooter opened fire within the walls of the prestigious Ivy League institution.
Chaos unfolded around 9pm as students were completing a final economics exam in the engineering building. Witnesses described a sudden surge of panic, a desperate scramble for safety as people fled the building, unsure of the source of the terrifying sounds.
Police quickly mobilized, flooding the campus with officers armed with rifles. A CCTV image of a potential suspect was released, showing a figure clad in dark clothing, estimated to be in his thirties, walking away from the scene on Hope Street.
The campus and the surrounding city of Providence were immediately placed on lockdown, a chilling stillness descending as businesses and restaurants closed their doors early, mirroring the fear gripping the community.
For Zoe Weissman, a sophomore at Brown, the night evoked a hauntingly familiar dread. A survivor of the 2018 shooting at Parkland High School in Florida, she expressed a raw, aching anger – the realization that she, and others like her, were forced to relive this nightmare, not once, but twice.
The weight of repeated trauma hung heavy in her words, a stark reminder of the pervasive gun violence that continues to plague the nation and steal the sense of security from young people.
As the search for the shooter continues, the community is left to grapple with the aftermath of this senseless act, mourning the lost and praying for the swift recovery of those injured.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are working tirelessly to bring the perpetrator to justice, but the scars of this night will undoubtedly linger long after the lockdown is lifted.
