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Providence Police: Multiple Shot in Area of Brown University; Sources: Deaths Reported in Shooting at Brown University; Mayor: Two Dead, Eight Others Critical in Brown University Shooting. Aired 6-7p ET
Aired December 13, 2025 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: You've got to have seen the process. I don't know if there is a single scene, if you have multiple scenes, if you have multiple people shot, if they are shot in different locations, then you get different scenes that you have to guard, that you have to protect because there is forensic evidence at every single one of those scenes.
And so there are a lot going on where you need sufficient resources and so whoever the incident commander is, the key is to make sure that you give the people the direction they need so they can, you know, be helpful at the scene.
JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: Yes, and again, just the location of where this is happening. We are waiting to hear more about specifically where these people were shot, but in terms of just the large response, obviously, you know, we've been told by police that there was someone shooting at people in this area, but the fact, Commissioner Ramsey, that that it is either -- that it is right there by Brown University, they are saying near Brown University, does that prompt a larger response because you -- this now, you know potentially includes they've got to lockdown and protect these thousands of students who are right there.
RAMSEY: Whenever you get a call of an active shooter, you're going to have a very large response. Now, the complexity of the area and the search of the area is certainly a little different when you're talking about a university, you're talking about a lot of students, you're talking about different buildings, access to those buildings. They've got to clear -- we don't know yet if there are multiple crime scenes, like I said before, so you've got a lot of things going on.
But in today's world, it is just an unfortunate reality. If there is an active shooter, whether it is in a school or elsewhere, you are going to get a large police response.
DEAN: Right.
I want you to stay with us. I believe we have Julia Benbrook now coming to us from The White House.
Julia, the President has been briefed on this. What more do you have from there in Washington? JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, President Donald Trump did go to social media. He said that he had been briefed on the situation. Now, there are still some confusing pieces here because he said there was a suspect in custody. We are not sure if that is outdated information because at first we heard there was someone in custody, then that was walked back.
So we will be eager to hopefully speak with him as he arrives back here at The White House. He has been in Baltimore at the Army-Navy game. He did speak with us a little bit as he left, so hopefully we will get some more remarks and some more clarifications.
DEAN: All right, Julia Benbrook at The White House, thank you so much and we have Julia Vargas Jones, who is monitoring the shooting and information that we are getting, walk people through the points that we do know right now -- Julia.
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jessica.
Look, initially we had the report that someone was in custody and that came with the initial report of an active shooter. Now, Brown did say in that first alert that that was near Barus & Holley, that is near their building of engineering.
After that, about an hour later, once we got that third alert that said that there was no shooter in custody, they described that there were also shots fired about two blocks east of that. So in about one hour you have a movement for about two blocks. I know you've asked Chief Ramsey there if that is a good thing or a bad thing. It is unclear at this point, also how many people were in that area.
Ten thousand students attend Brown right now. About 7,000 of those are undergrad, 3,000 graduate students. It is finals week all through December 20th, unclear how many people would be on campus at this time, but Brown is being very clear. They just issued another alert about eight minutes ago, saying that the situation remains ongoing, continue to shelter in place, law enforcement is on site as we can clearly see in those images that we are getting from our affiliates.
Again, this is the fourth alert that Brown has sent to their community and of course, extended community. This is happening both on and now off campus, as they described near Governor Street. That's already outside of the Brown University campus.
I do want to bring to you also a response that we are getting from the Governor of Rhode Island, Dan McKee. He said: "We are actively monitoring the shooting at Brown University. Our teams at Rhode Island State Police and Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency are working closely with local law enforcement. Please stay clear of the area and monitor the channels for updates. Praying for our community."
We also know, Jessica, that the ATF is also involved in this investigation as of now.
DEAN: Okay, Julia, thank you so much for that. We really appreciate it. Let's bring Charles Ramsey back in, former Philadelphia Police Commissioner.
What is interesting here, and again, I think this is just first of all, multiple people have been shot and that is -- that's the most important piece here is that people's lives are in danger and that there was somebody who was shooting at them.
We don't know who that person is. They are -- you know, there was word that they had them in custody. Now, we don't know.
[18:05:07]
What is interesting is, as I am listening to Julia, we've heard from the President -- from President Trump who said that there is a suspect in custody. We have not heard that -- the university had said that and they walked it back. The Governor saying that the shooting happened at Brown University, the police saying it happened near Brown University. There is just a lot of -- they seem small, but all of those pieces of information are a little bit different from one another.
RAMSEY: Well, confusion, a bit of chaos when you have something like this take place and that is why it is so important to wait until you get an official announcement to find out exactly what took place. Were there people shot? Yes. How many? What's the condition of the individuals? Is a person in custody? Are we looking for more than one person?
I mean, you would think the President would have better information than anyone else. However, I would say that if you recall, again, the Charlie Kirk shooting, the director of FBI said we had somebody in custody and they didn't have anybody in custody.
So the need to try to push information out as quickly as possible sometimes causes people to make errors quite frankly. I hope they have somebody in custody. I am hoping that the information he got is fresh and is accurate and you know, I mean, that's all you can hope for.
The university is going to err on the side of caution, and they are going to continue to tell students to shelter in place until they know for sure, even if they have one person, that that's the only person that they're looking for and there are no other threats around. So they're going to err on the side of caution.
DEAN: Right, and just quickly, Commissioner Ramsey, who should we expect to hear from when we do get this information? Who takes the lead here?
RAMSEY: Well, I mean, I would imagine the Police Chief will be there. I am sure the FBI is on scene, ATF is on scene, University Police are on scene. The mayor has probably responded if he is in town, Mayor Smiley.
And so there will be a host of people there to provide information. It probably would be the Police Chief or the University Chief that will give you the actual timeline of what took place, at the -- at or near the university.
DEAN: Okay. Please stay with us. We are getting a new clip in going back to this affiliate reporter at WJR. That's one of the local news stations there in Providence.
This reporter just talked to an eyewitness. This is what that eyewitness told him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: Well, I am actually joined by one of the students. This is a Brown student right here, Chung (ph), and he was in one of the buildings that was evacuated recently.
Chung, take us through what happened?
CHUNG, BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Yes, I actually was working in my lab, and I was -- I received a text message about the shooting nearby that was one block away from where I was. And, yes, then there were three other students with me. We decided to turn the light off and close all the doors and hide under our desks and wait for the next notification of the shooting.
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: How long did you hide for?
CHUNG: I think it was about two hours or so.
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: You were under those desks for two hours?
CHUNG: Yes, yes, yes.
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: What's going through your head at that point?
CHUNG: I was -- actually, I was hoping that no one is getting hurt and no one is dead, and I feel like I am safe in the lab because our doors are pretty thick, and we turned the lights off and nobody will come, except -- as long as they do not have the keys, so I felt safe at that moment.
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: And how did you get outside?
CHUNG: We heard a loud noise by the police outside our lab, and I also received a notification that they want everyone to get out of the building so that they can search every corner of the building to hunt for the shooter.
So we decided to open the door to let the police come in and search our body and search our lab and then we were told to get out of this building right away and here, that's why here I am right now.
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: Were these armored police officers?
CHUNG: Yes, with armors with all the weapons.
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: And when they were searching, did they look -- what were they -- were they searching thoroughly? What was it? CHUNG: Yes, it was really nice. They just want to confirm that we know each other with my friends, and that there is nobody inside the lab and there isn't anything that we -- an incident that we saw that's suspicious during our hiding. Yes. So they were pretty nice about that. Yes.
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: And, you know, you came out here without even a jacket.
CHUNG: Yes. Yes, I wasn't prepared for that because I only know that they want everyone to get out, but I wasn't so prepared for that because I thought I can get back to get my clothes and laptop and everything, but I just got out by the order of the police.
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: And when we were talking earlier, you were saying, right now you're trying to find a place to go.
[18:10:00]
CHUNG: Yes, yes, because I don't know what is going on right now and where I should go, which place is safe right now. So I probably will go with my friends to his house nearby. So, yes.
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: So Chung, we hope you're safe. Thank you so much for taking the moment to do this.
CHUNG: Thank you.
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: I appreciate it and stay safe. Stay warm. Go get inside and follow those instructions from Brown University and the police.
CHUNG: Sure.
WJR AFFILIATE REPORTER: We appreciate you.
CHUNG: Thank you. Patrice, we are going to send it back to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN: Again, that was an eyewitness there who was on the campus of Brown University. Again, we are monitoring this, waiting for more information. We do know multiple people shot again, according to police, in the area of Brown University. Students there currently on lockdown.
We are going to take a quick break. We will be back with more on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:15:24]
DEAN: You are watching breaking news.
You're looking at live pictures from Providence, Rhode Island where the things we know right now are this. Multiple people have been shot near Brown University, that is coming from police there.
Originally, Brown University had said someone was in custody and the President had said so as well. They have now gone back on that. The President saying that -- he has gone back on that and that that is not the current information.
We are waiting on more information. We do know that students are being told to shelter in place on the campus of Brown University, and one of those students is Lydell Dyer, a former CNN intern, current Brown University student who is currently on lockdown in a school gymnasium there.
Lydell is on the phone. Lydell, can you hear us?
LYDELL DYER, FORMER CNN INTERN, CURRENT BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Yes, I can.
DEAN: Hi. Okay, well, I hope you're safe and okay. I can -- I would imagine this is very scary and I am sorry, you and your friends and all of your school colleagues are having to go through this. What can you tell us? Describe the scene to us.
DYER: Well, basically at 4:22, we got the first notification from the school saying that, there was a shooter. I know from people who knew the area that it happened in our engineering building, which is about two blocks down from where we are. And once that happened, we kind of went into shutdown.
The school gym where I work, where I am at right now, its three floors, so we had to go gather everybody, bring them up to the top floor, put down the -- turned off the lights, put down the blinds. There are currently 154 of us here and we've been trying our best to stay quiet, stay in the dark, you know, because the shooter is so close.
In between 5:30 and 5:45, the first police officer arrived at our building. So they are now stationed downstairs. There is a fire truck and a couple of police cars outside on the street, but yes, the school has by now given us five alerts. At first, like you mentioned, it looked good. They said they had someone in custody, and then they went back on that and since saying that, nothing has really changed.
So right now, still very much an active shooter, basically in the middle of campus. Yes.
DEAN: Situation -- what -- have you been able to get any information from those officers who are there on the scene with you about the status of what they know, i.e. Do they have -- are they looking at somebody to try to get in custody? Is this person like -- where are they in this process?
DYER: Well, basically what the school has been willing to announce to students is all that, you know, they've told us. So the e-mails that we've been receiving, that's basically been our only avenue. And other than that, you know, just talking to other students, I know a lot of people who are near the scene, and so I think most of the information that we are getting is from students internally.
The University, really you know, has been giving those main updates that have been pretty vague, and yes, that's really all that we've gotten so far.
DEAN: How do you feel right now? Are you afraid?
DYER: I mean, you know, we are surrounded by 150 people. So there is safety in numbers. I think I was more afraid for, you know, some of my friends who were really close by. You know, I think knowing that there were people who were in the basement of the building that an active shooter was in, that was definitely a scary moment.
But, you know, we are students, we stick together, we persevere together. So I think that's kind of been our mindset and that's what we are sticking with right now.
DEAN: And so, Lydell, at this point, you're in the gymnasium, it sounds like, and correct me if I am wrong, that the only official communication you're getting is these e-mails from the school, and then you said around 5:30 to 5:45, officers did show up at the building. They were checking everything. Is that right? That's the official information you're getting.
DYER: Yes, that is correct.
DEAN: Okay. And so what happens now? Have they told you how long you might be there? Do you have any sense of timing?
DYER: We have no sense, whatsoever. I think I know that they've been clearing students in the immediate vicinity. And so, you know, I kind of have been, you know, doing mental calculus and just thinking about, you know, the buildings where they are calling people out and when they might get to us.
But no, so far, the school has not issued any immediate warnings and I think most of us are kind of expecting that we will be here for most of the night.
[18:20:10]
DEAN: Yes, it is so scary, and again, I am so sorry that you are having to go through this, and again, knowing that one of the pieces of information we do know is that multiple people have been shot. We don't know what their status is.
Have you heard -- I know you're inside, but can you hear anything? Did you hear any gunshot? Can you hear anything from outside the building you're in right now?
DYER: No. Luckily, we've been in an area where we haven't heard any gunshots yet.
DEAN: Okay, well, that's obviously a very good sign and we hope that really continues.
It is Finals Week, we are told. Are a lot of people on campus right now?
DYER: Yes, I think it is right now, the -- you know, we are in reading period. We have final exams. And I think most students were only planning on leaving next week, the end of next week. So you know, the majority of campus is still here.
DEAN: Okay. All right, Lydell Dyer --
DYER: Especially in the area.
DEAN: Go ahead. What did you say?
DYER: I was just going to say there were a lot of people in the area because its Final seasons, and it happened near library. So, there were a lot of people, you know, hunkered down studying when it happened.
DEAN: Yes, And I do want to ask you because again, we are not on campus. We are not as familiar as you are with the layout. This engineering building that they're telling people to stay clear from -- in terms of -- is it at the edge of campus? Is it in the middle of campus? How is it situated on the campus there?
DYER: If we imagine, you know, a north-south axis, it is pretty much in the center, but it is, horizontally on one of the edges of campus, but it is near one of the major libraries, the Sciences Library, so most of the people who are in the STEM Department, regardless of whether they're in engineering or not, tend to congregate around that area. So it is a pretty, you know, important place on campus for students to be.
DEAN: You'd say it is like a heavily trafficked area on campus.
DYER: Absolutely.
DEAN: Yes. Okay. All right, well, certainly, please, please, please take care of yourself. We are glad that you are okay. We are sorry you're going through this. This is a horrible thing for any person to have to endure, and for you and all of your friends to have to go through that, is just not acceptable and a terrible thing.
Stay with us. We will check back in with you and we really hope that you continue to be safe and that you're able to get safely out of that gym very, very soon. Lydell, thank you so much.
DYER: Thank you.
DEAN: All right, you stay safe.
I believe we have Charles Ramsey with us.
RAMSEY: Uh-hmm.
DEAN: Okay. We do, and we do want to talk to him about what we just spoke to Lydell about. We are going to do that. We are going to take a quick break. Again, we are monitoring the scene there in Providence, Rhode Island. You're looking at it where really the key piece of information we know right now what police have told us. Multiple people shot in the area of Brown University. We don't know exactly where.
We know those students as we just talked to Lydell, continue to be on lockdown. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:27:42]
DEAN: All right, welcome back to our breaking news coverage. This is coming to us out of Providence, Rhode Island where we are now being told that police are expected to hold a news conference at 6:30 P.M. That's in about 2.5 minutes. Again, those things can float a little bit. So we are going to bring it to you as soon as it becomes available.
We have been monitoring the situation now for well over an hour, as police there say that multiple people have been shot near Brown University. We don't know exactly where, if it is on the campus, if it is not. We are waiting for them to provide that information. We do know again that multiple people have been shot and students at Brown University are on lockdown.
I want to bring in Ethan Schenker. He is currently on lockdown and is a student there. Ethan, can you hear me okay?
ETHAN SCHENKER, STUDENT AT BROWN UNIVERSITY: Yes.
DEAN: All right. And you're okay. You're safe.
SCHENKER: Yes, I am. I'm currently in a library basement with a bunch of other students.
DEAN: As I said to one of your fellow students just a moment ago, I am really sorry that you're having to go through this. This is such a scary thing, and nobody should have to go through this. We are glad you're okay.
SCHENKER: Thank you.
DEAN: If you can, tell us what you've seen, what you're hearing. What is this experience been like for you?
SCHENKER: So about at around 4:20 or 4:15, there started to be kind of murmurs on social media that there was an active shooter situation, and we got an alert from Brown shortly thereafter telling us to go and kind of go and lockdown and lock the doors.
And I was in the library with my friends studying and we -- everyone kind of started -- Everyone got very, very nervous. I called my parents, everyone started calling their parents, and at about 4:50, we kind of -- we received a message from Brown saying that they had a person of interest in custody and it was just -- everyone was very confused and not sure what is going on because we didn't know whether the person had been caught and it turned out they hadn't been.
So we were moved down by library staff to kind of a location with no windows in this basement and we've been here kind of on lockdown for almost two hours now and are just hoping that our classmates are okay.
[18:30:10]
DEAN: I know. I know. Just the not knowing has to be so, so frightening. Have police made any or any sort of law enforcement been able to make any contact with you in that -- in that area?
SCHENKER: Well, I -- since we're on lockdown kind of in a basement I haven't seen police myself, but I have -- I believe that they're outside all of the buildings right now. And we were told by library staff too that kind of there was law enforcement in the area, but we've heard sirens it's been a constant for the past two hours there. I -- I think police are everywhere right now.
DEAN: Yes. And -- and I -- I can tell you, we are looking outside in on -- on kind of the outskirts of campuses are the videos we're getting and they -- there are -- it's a very large law enforcement response. So, I talked -- again, talking to one of your fellow students, he told us that they got their first notification via email from the school around 4:22 this afternoon that's Eastern Time and that there have been subsequent emails that's really been the -- the primary mode of communication. Would you say that's been your experience as well?
SCHENKER: Yes. I mean, we've been hearing a lot from Brown. We got -- I got a text. Every time they send a text we also get a call and, you know, they all say the same thing we've gotten about six of those right now. We just got a longer message kind of explaining that there's a -- quote, "they're 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."
This was from Brown's emergency alert automated email system. The email was unsigned, but it came from Brown.
DEAN: And what time did that come in?
SCHENKER: That came in at 6:06.
DEAN: 6:06 -- again, I just want to make sure I heard you right. They were saying that they confirmed there were multiple victims but they couldn't share their status how they were doing right now, is that right?
SCHENKER: Yes. They said they -- yes, and they said, quote, "they've been transported to local hospitals."
DEAN: All right. So, that -- that was the latest from Brown. Have you been told -- and it sounds like -- I don't think so but I just want to make sure, do you have any sense of when -- how long you might be where you are? SCHENKER: I -- I really don't know. We -- we've not been told that
they have a suspect in custody and that it's safe to end -- end lockdown. So, I -- as far as we're concerned, we're all kind of just here in -- in the basement just hoping that they -- they catch this person.
DEAN: Of course. And so, what is the feeling there right now would you say? How would you describe it?
SCHENKER: It's -- everyone's very on edge and just scared, I think, the sense that I get. You know, at the very beginning, it was kind of a sense of, oh, my god, is this really happening, you know, because we don't know and there's a lot of information that goes around. There are rumors. And then, it kind of set in that, wow, this has happened here. This has happened at Brown, when we find out who was -- was affected, these are -- these might be people that we know. So, everyone is just really, really scared.
DEAN: Of course, that makes perfect sense. And -- and we really hope you all stay safe. And, again, I'm sorry that you are having to go through this. Gun -- gun violence is not something that should be anywhere certainly not threatening students in the week before their exams there on the Brown University campus. Ethan, thank you for talking with us. And again, stay safe and please tell all the people with you that we're thinking about you and thank you for talking with us.
SCHENKER: Thank you so much.
DEAN: Yes.
SCHENKER: Thanks for having me.
DEAN: All right. I do want to go to John Miller now, our chief law enforcement intelligence analyst. John has some new reporting that he can share with us.
John, what are you learning?
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, having spoken to numerous -- numerous law enforcement sources since the beginning of this incident, what we have is some information. What we don't yet have now is perfect clarity. We do know that there are fatalities involved. What we don't know is what is that number.
We also know that there are other people shot who are not fatalities, who are being cared for at local hospitals. Again, we've seen a -- a large number and we've seen lesser numbers, so we're going to stay away from that number till we get some clarity on that.
We also know that police had a confrontation away from the shooting scene by a couple of blocks with an individual that resulted in shots being fired which was what was the -- the impetus of reports that a suspect was in custody.
[18:35:10] But on further investigation, it appears that that incident and its
connection to the shooter is now much more uncertain. So, that is ...
DEAN: I'm sorry to interrupt you, it's just the press conference is starting.
MILLER: Okay.
DEAN: Let's listen in.
MAYOR BRETT SMILEY, PROVIDENCE, RI: UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will be as transparent as we can in the hours to come and we'll provide regular updates but we're going to share what we do know at this time. But please bear with us as we know sometimes these details shift as the investigation progresses.
Sadly, today is a day that the City of Providence and the state of Rhode Island prayed would never come. We've heard about horrific acts of gun violence and active shooter situations in other places but not here. But this afternoon at four o'clock in the afternoon we received a call, 4:05 was when the initial call came in to Brown University of a report of an active shooter.
I can confirm that there are two individuals who have died this afternoon and there are another eight in critical status though stable at Rhode Island Hospital. Those are the only injuries or casualties that we know at this time. But as I mentioned and it's important to remind folks these numbers may change. We are still in early hours. But at this time there are two deceased and eight who are critical, but stable at Rhode Island Hospital.
Additionally, we do not have a shooter in custody at this time. There is a shelter in place in effect for the greater Brown University area. If you live on or near Brown's campus, we are encouraging you to stay home and stay inside. If you're not home at this time, we would encourage you not to return to your homes until the shelter in place has been lifted. We will make regular updates through all City of Providence official social media channels. That's where you can find out more information about the shelter in place, if it changes when it's lifted.
I want to commend the heroic work the Providence Police Department, the Brown Police Department, Providence Fire Department and the many agencies who provided mutual aid today. Brown Police responded first and then were quickly assisted by Providence Police who fearlessly and courageously entered and worked through the building and we'll hear from them in a minute.
Brown -- Providence Fire responded quickly as well and transported several of the victims. The Fire Department was assisted with mutual aid from across the state of Rhode Island and as I think we know our community to be our neighbors have really stepped up in a big way today and we're very grateful for everyone who has offered assistance and who will continue to offer assistance.
The Fire Department was aided by departments in Warwick, Barrington, Bristol, Brown EMS, Pawtucket, Cranston, Coventry, Smithfield, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, Woonsocket, Professional Ambulance Company, Scituate and Cumberland. Providence Police and Brown Police were aided by East Providence, Cranston, Cumberland, the State Police, the FBI and the ATF. Brown, Providence and the FBI are currently in close coordination as they seek to find the shooter or shooters.
The shooting took place at the Barus and Holley building which is a Brown University engineering and physics building. The building contains both classrooms and lab space. We'll hear from the Provost in a minute with some additional updates from Brown.
There will be a family reunification center that Brown will be setting up effective at seven o'clock. Please stay tuned for updates on where the -- that will be. We are encouraging anyone who was a witness to today's action to please contact the police as the investigation is ongoing and they may have critical information.
At this time, I'd like to introduce the Governor of the State of Rhode Island who was quick to call and offer assistance and has been in touch with our law enforcement, had the State Police respond quickly and has been a great partner to the City of Providence on this sad day, Governor McKee.
GOV. DANIEL MCKEE, (D) RHODE ISLAND: Yes, so the unthinkable has happened and I've been in touch, as the mayor said, to make sure that all the resources that we have whether it's the EMA, our State Police, Department of Health which we've been in contact with as well are responding in a way that is being helpful as possible. We've been in contact with the White House as well. Our office has been in contact with the White House.
[18:40:08]
So, we will bring all our resources to the table. I've been in touch with Governor Healey as well as other governors who have experienced the same tragedy. So, our thoughts go out to those who have been impacted by this in any way and we'll continue to provide the assistance to the -- the authorities here in Providence as well as statewide and continue to make sure that we are doing everything we can to help the families that are, you know, that are suffering right now.
SMILEY: Thank you, Governor.
Now, I'd like to introduce Chief Rodney Chatman from Brown PD.
CHIEF RODNEY CHATMAN, BROWN UNIVERSITY POLICE: My name is Rodney Chatman. I'm Vice President for Brown University, Vice President of Public Safety and Emergency Management and I serves as chief of police as well.
As mentioned, we will mention this several times, this is a very fluid situation and dynamically involving. Needless to say, my primary concern is the safety and security of this community. And we are encouraging if anyone has information about the tragic events that unfolded this afternoon to please contact us and provide that information. At this moment, I do want to say and share that my profound thanks and appreciation for all of the first responders who have come to assist us and all that are gathered right now speaking to continue this investigation to include all of the City of Providence resources, state resources and the federal government in terms of the FBI and ATF, sir.
SMILEY: Now, Commander Tim O'Hara from Providence Police.
DEPUTY CHIEF TIMOTHY O'HARA, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND POLICE: Good evening. Tim O'Hara, Deputy Chief of Providence Police. So, earlier this afternoon when we received the call for an active shooter inside a building, inside Brown University, our officers responded and as they are trained to do, entered that building immediately and began searching for a suspect. They did a systematic search of the building, however, no suspect was located at that time. They were able to clear that building and provide a safe place for all of students and faculty and workers that were in that building to -- to meet at.
Preliminarily, all we have is a suspect that was a male dressed in black. It is unknown how he entered the building, but we do know that he exited the Hope Street side of that complex. It's -- we're utilizing every resource possible to find this suspect. The shelter- in-place is in order and I urge people to take that very seriously. Please do not come to the area. There's an active police investigation going on and there's a lot of police activity. We've got assistance so far from some surrounding communities, the state police, the Cranston Police, East Providence Police, as well as our federal partners in the FBI and the ATF. They're -- we're talking to -- we're talking to witnesses at this time and delving into any video that's in the area and the investigation is very active and ongoing. We'll be updating you, I'm sure -- I'm sure throughout the night, but as I said, right now there is no suspect that is under arrest, so please stay out of the area. Thank you.
SMILEY: We'll take questions at the end. We'll take questions at the end. We have a few more speakers, please. Next, Fire Chief Derek Silva.
DEREK SILVA, FIRE CHIEF, CITY OF PROVIDENCE: Derek Silva, Fire Chief of the City of Providence. As mentioned previously, at 4.05 P.M. we were dispatched to the area of Waterman and Thayer for an active shooter incident where our firefighters, known as a Rescue Task Force, linked up with Providence Police with two operational locations at Waterman and Thayer and Waterman and Hope. Rescue Task Force is a firefighter that wears body armor and has ability to stop any shooting wounds and make sure that any victims are extricated quickly. With the assistance of police in neighboring cities and towns, eight people were transported, as the mayor mentioned, critical but stable condition, and two, unfortunately, were dead on arrival. We have a total of ten victims, but as I caution everyone, this is a developing incident and we are still actively searching the buildings along with Providence Police to make sure that everyone has gone home safe and that there are no one else that needs our assistance. Thank you.
SMILEY: Thank you, Chief. And then last, we'll hear from the Provost of Brown University, Frank Doyle. FRANK J. DOYLE III, BROWN UNIVERSITY PROVOST: Thank you, Mayor. I'm
Frank Doyle, Provost of Brown University. I want to reiterate this is an evolving situation, as you've heard multiple times. Our first priority is the safety of our academic community, the campus community, and coordinating closely with law enforcement and medical services. In the meantime, we continue to direct our community to shelter in place in the greater vicinity of the campus. We are working immediately to determine who was in the building at the time of the shooting and any impacts in the shooting.
[18:45:06]
We do know that there were final exams taking place in the building between 2:00 and 5:00 P.M.
We can confirm that support services are on site. We have been and continue to be very grateful to law enforcement and emergency medical personnel. We have relocated students to get support services at a secure location and we'll be providing more details. We continue to remain extremely grateful to all the law enforcement for their ongoing support. We're committed to keeping our community informed, supporting our students and families, as well as the affected faculty and staff. Thank you.
SMILEY: So, before we take questions, I just want to implore the greater Providence community. We are a week and a half away from Christmas and two people died today and another eight are in the hospital, so please pray for those families. Understand that this is not something our community has gone through together, but I also know this community and I know that its best moments are when we come together to support one another.
It's going to be a difficult rest of the day, difficult weeks and months ahead as this community heals and each and every one of us can play a small role in that in supporting one's neighbor and -- and offering that support and -- and their prayers for -- for everyone involved. At this point, we'll be happy to take questions as we know them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor, what can you tell us about the victims, including whether they were all Brown University students?
SMILEY: We cannot disclose any details about the victims at this time, whether they were students or not, or any other details. We will make those details available when they become available. We expect to be providing regular updates throughout the evening and in the days to come, and this is too early to be able to provide those details.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there any advance warning that something like this might be happening?
SMILEY: The first we learned about today was the 911 call that came in, but we had no other -- I don't think, (INAUDIBLE) but we had no other notice or threat indicators or anything like that. Please, Kate (ph). UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mayor, do you know exactly when Brown University
did put out that someone was in custody? How long was that misinformation out for, and how was that determination made and then retracted?
SMILEY: There was an individual who was preliminarily thought to be involved and was later determined to have no involvement, and that's why we can confirm that at this time there is nobody in custody. The length of that -- that investigation or interrogation of that individual, I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor, has a weapon been recovered?
SMILEY: (INAUDIBLE) ...
O'HARA: No weapons have been -- no weapons have been recovered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know what weapon was used?
O'HARA: We just know that it was a -- a -- a firearm. What -- what type of firearm? We're -- we're unaware of.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor, are Brown University police armed?
CHATMAN: Yes, we are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commander, do you need a pass to get to that building, or could someone just get in off the street?
O'HARA: I'm unaware of how the security of that building works.
DOYLE: Most of our buildings after hours are card swipe, but since there was a final exam there was probably a lot of traffic in and out of that building.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And where -- where did it happen in the building? Was this -- did this take place inside where the exam was going on?
CHATMAN: That's -- we -- we're still verifying everything, so we look at everything right now as all part of the crime scene, so we're ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were the victims found like in a hallway or were they in a classroom?
CHATMAN: We're unable to share that at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Commander, can you say if there have been any confirmed shots fired since the 4:05 shots?
O'HARA: There was a call that came over for shots fired in the area of Governor Street, but that was unconfirmed and unfounded.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, as far as we know, the -- the gunman has not been seen since around the four o'clock hour?
O'HARA: That's correct. The last time that we know that he's been seen was when somebody saw him leaving the building on the Hope Street side of the building.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commander ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he around college age or do you have any ...
O'HARA: I don't have any more information about his description.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commander -- Commander, can you repeat how the individual exited the building?
O'HARA: He exited the -- the doors at the Hope Street side of the building.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do police have any video footage of the suspect at this point?
O'HARA: We're working on that right now. We're working along with FBI on tracking down video from that area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What resources are being used for the video at this point to try to locate the suspect?
O'HARA: Forensic evidence. We're using witness evidence and just -- we're looking for video mostly right now because we'd like to get an image out as quickly as we can of the suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, having been about close to three hours now, you were in contact with other law enforcement. Now, we're talking a -- a large perimeter at this juncture. Who else is involved in this now?
O'HARA: As I said earlier, state police are involved, ATF, the FBI, Providence Police detectives and all the other squads that we have available to us at the patrol bureau and our specialty intelligence units and a real-time crime center will be involved as well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any multi-state alerts?
O'HARA: Not that I'm aware of, no.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has everyone vacated that building at this point?
O'HARA: No, not everybody. There's still a police presence in that building. That's the crime scene. We're going to be in that building for quite some time.
[18:50:05]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But the students, faculty, bystanders ...
O'HARA: Yes, everybody that's -- that was in that building at the time is -- has been moved.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commander, so it's two deceased and eight that are in basic critical condition at the hospital?
O'HARA: They're in stable condition at the hospital, Rhode Island Hospital right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are they able to provide any details or ...
O'HARA: That's what we're working on right now, John.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In terms of when that suspect was last seen, he was leaving the building on Hope Street. Was that eyewitness account? Did police see him leave? Was there any interaction with police with that suspect?
O'HARA: No interaction with that suspect with police. That was from eyewitness account.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) I just wanted to know if there's any kind of description you can provide to anybody here right now. I know it's kind of hard, but we don't know what we're looking for. There's a lot of people on edge. Is there anything that you can give us?
O'HARA: All I can give you is a male, all dressed in black at this time. We're hoping to get something very soon. An image would be the best thing for us to get out there to you guys and everybody else, so ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the suspect have a mask on?
O'HARA: That I can't confirm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have an image of him?
O'HARA: I do not have -- I do not have an image of him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commander, did ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he -- he left on foot or did he get into a vehicle?
O'HARA: He left on foot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) he go down Hope Street?
O'HARA: He -- he exited the building on Hope Street. Where he went from there, we're unsure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you find a suspect in a city campus? It makes it very, very challenging.
SMILEY: We have all available resources. And as the governor mentioned, he's in touch with governors in other areas as well. This will be an ongoing investigation. Obviously, FBI, ATF, Providence Police, Brown Police are all actively investigating this as we speak. And we will provide updates as they become available.
We expect to provide regular updates throughout the evening and in the days to come. We will share information as we have it with all of you. We knew that this update was preliminary. But we also know that there's a lot of fear and anxiety and concern in our community. And so, it was important to get out the details that we do have at this time. At this point, you know all the information that can be shared. And we will keep the community and members of the press corps updated as we go throughout the evening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Has there ever been a shooting at Brown University before?
CHATMAN: To my knowledge, no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commander, has Chief Perez been briefed on the incident?
O'HARA: Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where is he?
SMILEY: The Chief is on his way here and will be at a -- at our later press availabilities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What kind of presence ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor (INAUDIBLE) of who are living, obviously, in this area that are concerned, they're instructed to shelter in place. If they see something that they feel is suspicious, what is the best way for them to reach out? Can they send pictures? Can they reach out? Obviously, you can call the police.
SMILEY: They should call the police. That is the best way. Social media or other forms of communication are not the appropriate venue. You should call 911 if you believe you have information that may help us with this investigation. Particularly if you are a student on campus or an adult on campus that was near the area that you think you have something to contribute, please call the police to help us with our investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mayor, was the (INAUDIBLE) ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor, is there any thought about shutting businesses down, like on Thayer Street or anything like that? I know they did that in Maine (ph) after this.
SMILEY: At this point, we are not mandating that businesses shut, but we are asking everyone to shelter in place. And so, we would -- we would hope that everyone would stay indoors until they hear otherwise from official City of Providence channels. In this day and age, we know there will be misinformation available online. So, please, when it comes to official updates, updates with regard to the shelter in place and -- and other updates, go to the City of Providence's Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, any of our social media channels. It is clearly marked as the official City of Providence page so that you know you're getting the accurate and official updates.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mayor ...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The shelter extends to what area?
SMILEY: The -- the shelter in place is defined as the broader Brown community, Brown neighborhood. Everyone knows if they live near Brown, and certainly if you're on campus. Because we don't have additional information to share at this time about the location of -- of a shooter, we cannot more specifically define it than that. This is a scary time, I know. As many folks know, I live proximate to the campus, and I'm hearing from friends and neighbors. We're encouraging people to stay inside until there are additional updates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can we ask Provost -- Provost a question?
SMILEY: Sure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the policy at Brown University regarding firearms? Could a student have -- legally have a firearm in the dorm?
DOYLE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They cannot?
DOYLE: They cannot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mayor, I'm just asking ...
SMILEY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... was the Chief Commander -- is he out of state?
SMILEY: I don't know. He's in transit, and he's expected to be here within an hour or two, and so he will be with us at future updates this evening.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What time did police arrive at the scene after the first ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) ...
SMILEY: Hold on, Pat (ph). We're going to take Nisha's (ph) question first, and -- and Chief, this might be for you, please.
[18:55:01]
CHATMAN: What was that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What time did police arrive at the scene after the first 911 call?
CHATMAN: The exact time, I don't know, but it's -- Barus and Holley is 184 Hope Street, and it's a very short drive from us, so I would say minutes within ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How about for Providence Police? When were they contacted?
O'HARA: We -- we -- whenever we were called, we responded immediately and immediately entered that building looking for the shooter.
SMILEY: We'll -- we'll provide a timeline later in the evening.
O'HARA: How often do the various law enforcement agencies prepare for situations like this? Do they do active shooter simulations, trainings, establishing perimeters? Talk a little bit about that training that goes into this multi-agency response.
CHATMAN: I certainly ...
O'HARA: Go ahead (INAUDIBLE) ...
CHATMAN: ... well, I certainly welcome you too as well. We just did a few months ago a joint training, Brown PD and Providence PD and Providence Fire and Rescue Task Force. It is something we certainly plan for, practice for, rehearse, but never want to see it come to fruition like it did today. But it is something that we definitely prepare for multiple times throughout the year, and as you mentioned, we just had a joint training several months ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Colonel (INAUDIBLE) ...
SMILEY: Okay, Kate (ph) I would just add -- I'm sorry, John (ph), one second. I would just add, Kate (ph), that the City of Providence conducted an active shooter drill, a live drill at a closed school about 18 months ago with not just police but fire, emergency management, and the other various departments and city government that are responding. This is a sad state of our country right now where you have to plan for these things, and -- and hopefully the community takes some comfort to know that their Providence leadership has planned for this occurrence, including very recently.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Colonel ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... you said that there was a final exam going on in the building. Where is the campus is at -- are there still more students on campus? Have some already taken their exams and gone home?
CHATMAN: It's a little bit of both. Some students have gone home, but they are -- as the Provost said, there's still some camp -- there's still some activity going on. Provost?
DOYLE: We're still in the finals period. So, students who didn't have exams have left, but, you know, still ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're saying there's a final exam for what class?
DOYLE: We're not prepared to release that information right now. There are multiple exams in the building.
SMILEY: Pat? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) ...
SMILEY: Hold on, Pat (ph) ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE), Colonel. does the Brown University receive threatening chatter at any time? In what manner does Brown University Police monitor that or is that turned over to Providence Police right away?
CHATMAN: There's a strong really -- partnership and collaboration between Brown University and Providence PD. Any information like that we will share, and we also share it with the Fusion Center as well. As mentioned, we have no verified information, warning, or anything related to today's events.
SMILEY: Dan (ph) ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commander, do you ...
SMILEY: Hold on a second, John. Dan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor, you -- you lived right next to the building, correct? Were you home at the time?
SMILEY: I was home at the time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, did, you know, did anyone come to you? Like, did you shelter in place when you (INAUDIBLE)? What happened when you found out?
SMILEY: Yes. I was at home watching the PC game and -- and saw lights and sirens go by my house, and -- at which time Commander O'Hara called me with a -- a very preliminary update and then had been in touch and, obviously, as you point out, about a block away, very proximate through the rest of the evening.
(CROSSTALK)
SMILEY: I'm sorry, John and Dan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If -- if someone right now feels they may have video that shows someone running by their house, someone acting suspicious, who do you want them to contact?
O'HARA: I want them to contact the police department. Call us up. We'll send a detective out to there right away and see what kind of evidence they may have for us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should -- should people check ring cameras, businesses, someone may have video?
O'HARA: Yes, they should. If they have a ring camera in the area -- area of the shooting, they should be reviewing that right now and see if there's anything that looks suspicious. We'll follow up. SMILEY: Dam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To follow up -- follow up on that question, with -- with -- with all -- with that area and all the cameras in that area, you have to have something.
O'HARA: I don't have anything yet, Dan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you looking through it now?
O'HARA: Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay. And -- and the conditions of the victims at school, a source at the hospital says that there could be more casualties. Can you just gently tell us what we're looking (INAUDIBLE) ...
SMILEY: We can't speak any further about the condition. They are in critical but stable condition, and -- and we will provide additional updates as they become available. As we have mentioned multiple times, and I will mention again, because it's very important that we be honest and transparent with all of you and with parents and loved ones who are concerned about -- they've got students who are away at school or they have someone who works at Brown. We're not done yet. And so, while we have no other victims at this time that we're aware of, it is possible. And so, it's very important that -- that we -- that we say that this is preliminary information, that we know that there is a minimum of eight victims in the hospital at this time, but it is all subject to change, and when those changes or if those changes occur, we will be sure to share them with you.
[19:00:02]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Commander, one more question. Are you confident it's just one individual you're looking for?
O'HARA: That's the information we have now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And do you want to give the phone number to people to call?
