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Two Dead, Eight Critical In Brown University Shooting; Two Dead, Eight Critically Injured In Brown University Shooting. Aired 7- 8p ET

Aired December 13, 2025 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Commander, one more question. Are you confident it's just one individual you're looking for?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the information we have now.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Maybe you want to give the phone number in case (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 272-1111 or 272-3121. As I mentioned we will -- we expect to be providing additional updates throughout the evening. If you're not on our press list, please see Josh. Raise your hand. Please see Josh to make sure you get on the press list. That's where we will notify folks about additional availabilities throughout the evening. As we have more information, we will share it. Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: There'll be more press conferences?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We expect there will be. Yes.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: OK. We are getting new information from that press conference. We do know two people are dead. Eight are now in the hospital in critical condition. They were shot on campus at Brown University in the Barus and Holley Building. We're told final exams were happening in that building that houses classrooms and lab space.

The other significant detail that we now have confirmed is that the suspect is not in custody, and there remains a shelter in place order that, as you heard, law enforcement is really emphasizing to people in that area to take very, very seriously. Also, hauntingly, the mayor there saying that it is possible there could be more victims. They are still going through, it sounds like, the process. And so he said that it is at least eight who are being hospitalized, at least two deaths is where they are putting those numbers right now.

All of this starting around 4:05 p.m. so about three hours ago there on the Brown University campus, where finals are underway for this semester.

I want to bring in John Miller, who was doing -- who had new reporting as we went into that press conference.

And, John, now you've listened to everything that law enforcement has been able to say publicly. What is your takeaway? JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well,

what we've learned is that they don't know who their suspect is. They don't exactly know what their suspect looks like except that he is a male and that he is dressed in black. Right now on the ground, the key is going to be the video canvas. Video cameras from inside the building that may have gotten a well-lit image of the shooter coming or going. Video cameras outside the building that may have caught the killer fleeing.

And then as they expand that video canvas out to determine, is there a picture of him, let's say, dressed in black? Did he have a hood? Did he have a mask? Is there a picture of him earlier on at another location? Without that, that video canvas is going to be key because that's a picture that they stated. Once they have one that will be useful, they want to get that out. Other things they're doing are interviewing victims at the hospital if they are able to talk.

And interviewing other people who were around at the shooting to ask questions like, did he say anything? Could you tell anything from his voice? Did he target any particular individual or just open fire on victims at random? All of these are going to be important to help identify that suspect, help focus on motive if they can figure one out, or if there was a particular target.

DEAN: And John, it would seem to me, based on what you're describing there, that getting this picture or some sort of video, any sort of image of this potential suspect is going to be of the highest priority right now.

MILLER: And I think the deputy chief of Providence Police said that was their number one job right now is to go through that video, find the best image that they can find, put that out, and then go back to the video and see if they can find a better image as we go.

Listen, we unfortunately, Jessica, particularly you and I, on these weekends are too experienced at this where we know they'll put out an image. But what did we learn from the Luigi Mangione case is they'll get one image that they'll use, but then they'll find a better one, and then maybe a better one. So I think that that's going to be a big focus. Unless someone who may have known this person or known why they were there or why they were shooting can put a name to that person and that can fast forward this. But we don't have that now.

A couple of other things to focus on, though. We picked up a couple of clues to what I was talking about before the news conference started, which is, one, they believe they had a suspect in custody, but after questioning him and not finding him connected with any weapon, determined that he was not involved. We don't have much more detail on that than that is the reason that they put out the idea that a suspect was in custody and then had to back away from that.

[19:05:05]

The second thing we learned was that on Governor Street, I believe there was a report of shots fired. They said they responded there and didn't find any evidence of shots fired. So that's something else they're going to have to get further into as they have more time to look into that. But right now it looks like the suspect that they thought they had in custody didn't pan out, which has refocused them on looking for this individual that they're trying to get video of, and that the shooting nearby that people heard didn't reveal any evidence. So there's a lot of pieces here that are going to have to come together.

DEAN: Right. And then what about this idea and the mayor saying there that people are obviously on edge? Of course they are. This is absolutely terrifying. If it's anybody that's experienced it in real time, or a parent that has a kid there or somebody who's, you know, loved one works at Brown University. So -- and then you have the adjacent area. I mean, it's right there in a city.

In terms of keeping people safe right now, they obviously could not emphasize enough, please shelter in place, please be vigilant, please don't come here, please don't go outside. But how much is that weighing on law enforcement right now as well, that the threat does remain in the sense they don't have this person in custody?

MILLER: Well, those are all really critical considerations. I mean, what we hear sometimes in these instances is, well, there's no further threat to the public. That means the suspect is in custody or the suspect is down. In that case -- in this case, that's not what we have. We have a suspect who they believe is at large, who is a male dressed in black. The darkness, the nighttime is his ally. He would be easier to spot in daylight.

And he has had much time in the context of fleeing from a crime scene, much time to find his way off Hope Street from that exit he left the building in, possibly to a vehicle, possibly to I-95. I mean, he could have put a lot of distance between himself and this crime scene, or he could still be in the area, which is why they're not able to say there's no further threat to the public, which is why they are saying, please stay inside and please keep your eyes open and be ready to communicate.

DEAN: Totally. And what a -- just a really terrifying time for the people of Providence there, for all those students, some of whom we're talking to are still sheltering in place, in groups and gyms and libraries.

John, I know you're going to be talking to sources. We will check back in with you in just a little bit.

I do want to go there to the scene. We have an affiliate reporter, one of our affiliates, WJAR. John Perik is outside that engineering building, the Barus and Holley Building where that shooting we're told now did take place.

And John, we were told by law enforcement final exams were happening. They really wouldn't get into details about when or how or who might have been taking tests, but it does seem clear that students likely could have been inside that building where the shooting took place at houses, classrooms and lab space. JOHN PERIK, WJAR REPORTER: No, absolutely, Jessica. And we've been in

communication with some students that are in the surrounding buildings. I'm at the corner right now of Hope Street and Waterman Street now, as they are putting tape back up here, they just let a shuttle bus through. But to show you where that engineering building is, you see the ambulance there, it's just to the right.

When we first got here on scene, there was tons of law enforcement surrounding that area of the building. A chopper is flying over me right now. A few moments ago, we saw local police walking by with breaching equipment. It's often used to break down doors. Again we've been in communication with a woman, a Brown student inside one of these buildings. I've been texting with her. She told me that she has been using whatever she can find, any furniture in the room to barricade herself inside. She said the university tells her they need a shelter in place.

As for this area, it's not considered the center of Brown University's campus by any means. It's a very residential area, but it has Brown University buildings. It kind of sprinkled throughout it, including this engineering building. A lot of these homes are old houses. We've talked to a lot of residents who live around here, too. A lot of people certainly shaken.

Again, two people confirmed to be dead, eight in critical condition. The suspect is not in custody. Crews working to put this crime scene tape back up, Jessica. Still a very active scene here in Providence.

DEAN: Yes, it certainly seems like it. And when the law enforcement was talking during the press conference, they and the mayor and the school officials said, to their knowledge, this is the first shooting at Brown University. You were giving us a little background for people who don't know Providence well about what the neighborhood is like, but help -- kind of set the scene for people in terms of how out of character something like this might be in that neighborhood. Obviously, it's a, you know, an Ivy League school campus. But tell us a little bit about that area.

[19:10:09]

PERIK: Well, quite frankly, it's one of the nicest areas in the whole entire city. It's considered the east side of Providence. Now, this is Hope Street here, just a block away is the Wheeler School. It's a private school, elementary school and a high school. Further down is Moses Brown, another private school here.

This is a very nice area. Brown University has their hockey rink in between both those private schools. A block away is Thayer Street. A lot of restaurants, a lot of shops. It's a very common area for people that live in Providence just to come out and just kind of be great spot to be good nightlife there, too.

This is not a story that we've reported here in Providence. This is very rare. This is not something that we've seen locally, Jessica.

DEAN: And again, as someone like yourself who covers local news there and unfortunately has to cover crime scenes probably more often than anyone would like, give us a sense of how large this response is.

PERIK: Well, it was a massive response. Right now, actually, there is a helicopter that's been flying throughout this area right now. Of course, they are looking for a suspect. When we first got here, which was around 4:00, this whole entire area here on Hope Street was flooded with ambulances from all over our area. I counted at least 30 right now or back then I counted 30. Right now many of them are gone.

It's important to note, though, that when we showed up here, a lot of those ambulances weren't leaving. Of course, there was also another active scene with more ambulances down on Thayer Street, which is just a block away, Jessica.

DEAN: All right, John, thank you so much for setting that scene for us. We really appreciate all that information. It really does give us some context.

I want to bring in Jonathan Wackrow now, who has been standing by.

Jonathan, talking about law enforcement, we now have a sense from John there about what it's like there. Again, if people are just joining us, just to bring you up to speed, we now know that two people are dead, eight others in critical condition, that they were shot inside a building there on Brown University's campus, where final exams were happening. The suspect is still at large.

All we know, Jonathan, right now about this suspect, all they are able to tell us is it's a male who was dressed in all black. That is quite vague. Obviously law enforcement very much would like more specifics around this and is working hard to try to get more specifics around this. But as you're getting all of this information now, what are your first thoughts about where this stands and what they're going to have to do to try to find this suspect?

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Jessica, you know, really what stuck out to me when we were watching and listening in to the press conference is really the statement from the mayor, that, you know, we are really still in the emergent phase of this situation. And what that means is, you know, the shooting may have paused for a moment, but we still have a suspect at large.

So with that, you know, and not in custody. So chaos can really erupt at any moment. So when we think about an emergent phase of any type of critical incident, such as an active shooter, this is the most dangerous and fluid phase of police response. And what we're witnessing, and this is indicative of an emergent phase of a crisis, is that we get incomplete information. We heard that about a suspect being in custody, not in custody.

We just have a lack of, you know, continuous flow of information. And that's just because of the nature and the dynamic situation that we're facing. But the critical part is that lives are at immediate risk here. We do have an active shooter who departed the scene. Again, John Miller described the area. There is a densely populated residential area just to the east of Hope Street, which is where law enforcement said that this suspect had departed onto. So again, we have this suspect at large, uncontained, with very few indicators of who they are other than a very broad description of clothing. But we really don't even know the direction of travel.

So I want to reinforce what, you know, John Miller and our other law enforcement colleagues who have been covering this have been saying is that the critical aspect right now is for this forensic review of video evidence to come together to try to get a picture of the suspect, but also aid law enforcement on where to start searching. Right now the time and distance from this crime scene could be significant.

They have to now start, you know, regaining some of the real estate and control over this situation to get this suspect in custody and move away from this emergent phase of the crisis.

DEAN: Right. And I think you're underscoring what appears to be a really critical point for this investigation in trying to find this suspect, which is that first call came in at 4:05.

[19:15:08]

It's now three hours later, and the proximity, you know, the geography of where Providence is on the East Coast near a major interstate, I- 95, there's just a lot -- that's a lot of time, three hours, especially if they don't know exactly who they're looking for.

WACKROW: Exactly. And this is where, you know, when we talk about this surge of law enforcement, you know, both federal, state and local, all coordinating and, you know, surging onto this site, right now they have to now take all of those resources under a unified command, a unified incident command structure, and start, you know, assigning tasks to people. You'll have state police covering the highway. You have I-95, which is in close proximity to this location.

You'll have, you know, mutual aid entities that have come into the region. They'll start, you know, looking and clearing zones. Again, there's a lot of things that are going on in this emergent phase utilizing all of these resources that we saw surge. Again, the active shooting component has stopped. But -- I should say paused. I don't want to say stop because we don't have a suspect in custody.

We don't know if this individual is still armed. So, again, when we heard this reinforced theme throughout the press conference of remaining, you know, keeping that shelter in place, not --making sure that people aren't coming to the scene of the incident. Again, public safety is paramount right now. And until law enforcement and public safety officials indicate that the suspect is in custody and that there is no risk to the public, everyone in the entire region, not just Brown University, should be sheltering in place, not interfering with law enforcement operations. And, you know, just remaining as safe as they can.

DEAN: Yes, it is unfortunately something that needs to be taken quite seriously. We do know, again, learning from that press conference that no weapon has so far been recovered, but that a firearm was used in that shooting. So we await more details. Jonathan, thank you for your expertise. Please stand by.

We did just hear from President Trump on this shooting. We're going to have that for you when we come back after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:22:05]

DEAN: This is our breaking news coverage of a deadly shooting on the campus of Brown University there in Providence, Rhode Island. You are looking at earlier pictures from the scene. We know two people are dead from that shooting. Eight are in critical condition. The mayor saying that those are preliminary numbers and it could be possible they go up.

We are waiting for more information when it comes to the suspect. That suspect still at large. All we have been told is that it is a male who was dressed in all black. And right now, what is happening behind the scenes, the scramble to get more information about that suspect, to find out more on them, and also hopefully get some sort of video or photo that can be shared with the public.

I do want to go to Julia Benbrook, who is there at the White House in Washington, D.C.

Julia, we heard from President Trump on this earlier tonight, and I believe we've heard from him again since we've gotten more information. What is the president saying?

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump, he's back here at the White House tonight. He says he has been briefed on the shooting. He urged Americans to continue to pray for this situation. I do just want to play his full remarks. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So I've been fully briefed on the Brown University situation. What a terrible thing it is. And all we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt. It looks like. And we'll inform you later as to what's happening. But it's a shame. It's a shame. Just pray. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BENBROOK: And of course, we now know that two people were killed and eight people in critical condition. His remarks, Trump's remarks came after he put out two social media posts on this earlier today. And the first one, he confirmed there was a shooting that the FBI would be working on this as well. And he also said at that time that there was a suspect in custody. He quickly retracted that in another post, saying that the Brown University Police had also retracted that statement.

We did learn a little bit more in that press conference that they did find someone they thought was involved, but turned out not to be. So very key in all of this there is no suspect in custody. We did hear from the governor as well. He said he's speaking with other leaders and is in contact with the White House. As far as the federal response to all of this, FBI director Kash Patel, he put out a statement and said this.

He said, quote, "FBI personnel are on the scene and assisting this evening after the shooting at Brown University and will provide all capabilities necessary. Please pray for all of those involved. We will update you with more information as we are able."

[19:25:02]

And Jessica, of course, just on a very personal level of all of this, I have some family members of students reaching out to me, a specific, I shouldn't say family member. A close person to one of the students that is in lockdown, and that person tells me that that student took off running after hearing gunshots and said that they believe that they were one of the first to call the police in all of this.

But that fear of the loved ones that do have some of these students still waiting, not knowing what's going on, is top of mind for everyone, and including officials here at the White House.

DEAN: All right, Julia Benbrook, thank you so much for your reporting there from the White House.

We are going to take a break. We'll have more for you on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:10]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

DEAN: We are covering a deadly shooting out of Brown University in Rhode Island. The shooter in that case, still at large. Police do not know who it is. All they know is that it is a male who was dressed in all black, and that those shots began. They got the first call around 4:05 Eastern Time, about 3.5 hours ago.

I want to go to Katie Sun, Brown University student.

Katie is still on lockdown in her dorm room.

Katie, are you with us?

KATIE SUN, BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Yes. Hello. Hi.

DEAN: Hi. Are you okay? We are so sorry you're going through this.

SUN: Well, thank you. I am okay. I am doing all right. Thank you so much.

DEAN: Okay. SUN: But it is a tough time.

DEAN: I know, it is a really, really scary and traumatic thing to have to be on lockdown at your school and to have violence like this around you. I have been told you heard the gunshots.

SUN: Yes. I was studying in Barus & Holley, which is the engineering building where I think the shooting happened.

DEAN: Yes.

SUN: So I was in the front area, and I heard like multiple gunshots, like bangs coming from the back where the classrooms are and I basically fled immediately, me and the other people that were studying there.

DEAN: That is so, so scary. Okay, so take us in again for just people that are at home who may be tuning in, what she is talking about is the Barus & Holley Building there on Brown, which is where the shooting did happen. Two people killed, eight people in critical, but stable condition.

And so, Katie, you're saying you were studying there? There were exams going on at that time, right?

SUN: Yes, so the way the building is -- there is a pretty big building. There is a front area called the ERC that has like a cafe during the week, and there are some tables and then further back into the building, there are classrooms and I think that's where the exams were.

So I was in the front area of the building, so I didn't see anything, but I was -- I heard the heard the gunshots.

DEAN: And so when you when you heard them, you said they sounded kind of like pops?

SUN: Pops, bangs. I mean, at first, like, I mean, I've never experienced anything like this, so I didn't really know what to make of it, but there were just -- there were so many and sequential and it was like bangs or pops, and yes, at first, like me and the other people that were there, we kind of froze.

And then someone was like, we have to go and then everyone just sprinted out. I left all my stuff there. It is probably still there.

DEAN: Yes. No, that makes sense.

And so obviously in a moment like that, you're just processing. It is probably hard, but if you were to guess how many shots you heard, do you have any idea?

SUN: Maybe five or six. I don't really know exactly, but it was like definitely more than one or two. It was kind of a lot. Yes.

DEAN: And so you and your fellow students hear those gunshots in the back of that building loud enough, obviously, that you know what it is. You hear them, you get up and you run -- you run out of that building?

SUN: Yes. Me and most of the other people that were there, we run out towards the front of the building there like two sides. So the front of the building faces the sideline, not sure of the street name, but we run out there and like, everybody is running it. It was so scary.

But yes, we run out and I was thankfully able to get into my dorm safely.

DEAN: Which is where you are now, safely in your dorm room.

SUN: Yes.

DEAN: Do you have any sense of how many people were back there taking exams or were in that classroom area?

SUN: That I don't know, I think -- I personally don't know anyone who has taken exam in person in Barus & Holley, but depending on the class sizes, I bet that there is -- yes, I don't really want to give any inaccurate number.

DEAN: No, no. It is okay, it is okay. And in terms of that building, describe it for people. Is it really big? Are there a lot of entrances? What is that building like?

SUN: Yes, it is pretty big. Again, the front area where I was and where the cafe is, is pretty open. So there are multiple doors where you can get in. I think there are three floors and then there are also basements and there is also like -- they have labs in there. So you can go in through like the front or the -- there's honestly a lot of doors. But not all of them are like, a lot of them are lost, but mostly the front doors, they keep them open, or sometimes they are popped open.

DEAN: And so that is my other question to you in terms of getting into that building, do you have to swipe a student I.D.? Do you just walk in?

[19:35:10]

SUN: I think during the weekdays and during daylight hours, they are mostly unlocked. The main doors are unlocked. Sometimes I know late at night I like to go study there and students will keep a chair to prop it open, although I think that definitely won't be happening anymore.

DEAN: Yes.

SUN: Yes.

DEAN: Did you swipe in today?

SUN: I didn't really swipe. No, I just walked in.

DEAN: You just walked right in. So, okay, so anybody could have walked in at least in the door you went in.

SUN: Yes. Yes.

DEAN: Okay, and so now you're there in your dorm room. Have you been told anything beyond just stay on lockdown?

SUN: That's all like officially from the school. We are just told to stay on lockdown. I've been told that they still haven't found anyone. So, I am trying not to go out and trying to stay safe is the main goal.

DEAN: Yes. Yes, that is the main goal. And listen, that sounds like exactly what you should be doing based on all of law enforcement is to stay in. Have you -- you know, are people -- how are your dorm mates reacting to all of this?

SUN: Well, my suitemates are actually not back yet. They're all, like, locked down in different areas. I think some are at the gym. Some of my suitemates and friends, they are still locked down where they had their finals actually like a different dorm on campus, which I feel pretty bad for them about.

So, my friends are kind of scattered all over wherever they can find somewhere safe. Yes. I had another friend who was also in the building, but she was in a conference room on the second floor, and she had to barricade herself in there until the police were able to get them out. But that is definitely even more scary than what I experienced.

DEAN: Yes, it is very -- so police were able to clear where she was in that building.

SUN: Yes, they had -- at least what she told me was they had barricaded themselves in there, and then eventually police came and then they got them out, which is good!

DEAN: Okay. So it just sounds like again, just kind of recapping what you're saying here. You were in the building where the shooting happened. Which is described as kind of being a little bit on the edge of campus around by like a residential area, and you were studying in the front area that's kind of open. There were classrooms in the back.

And while you're studying, you didn't swipe to go in. Anybody could have walked in that front door, it was open. And while you're studying, you heard at least five or six gunshots and that's when you guys ran.

SUN: Yes. Yes, exactly. So surreal. I mean, it is horrible. I just can't believe it.

DEAN: I know, I know. I am sure you're in a state of shock. That is -- it is a shocking, terrifying thing to have to experience. It probably doesn't even make sense at the time when you're hearing it.

Like you said, I think it is -- you know, you freeze and then you react. But we are really glad you're okay, Katie. And I hope that your friends are also okay and that you can just stay safe there in your dorm room. And hopefully they catch this person very, very soon.

SUN: Thank you so much. I really appreciate that.

DEAN: All right, thank you, Katie. We appreciate you.

We are going to take a quick break. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:43:03]

DEAN: Okay, this is brand new video coming to us from a student, Ethan Schenker, who we talked to in the last hour. He said that he took this video. This was law enforcement coming in ostensibly to try to clear that library, it looks like or that place where they were sheltering in place. Again, this is new video we are just getting from a student there on the Brown University campus who has been in lockdown since this shooting happened.

I want to bring in Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.

Mayor, we just saw you at that news conference just a little bit ago. First of all, we are so sorry that you and your community are going through this. I know this is a very scary, very traumatic time for a lot of people who still don't have answers, as this suspect remains at large.

I know you all said, all you can say right now is this is a male and that he was wearing all black. Obviously, you're going through that video now or law enforcement is trying to find images. Can you give us any update beyond that?

MAYOR BRETT SMILEY, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: Yes. Thanks, Jessica and it is a sad day for our community. You know, with what is happening around the country these days, all of us, of course, think about things like this happening, but we pray that it never happens in our home. And today, it did, in our community.

Here we are, just a week and a half from Christmas and there are two deceased victims and another eight in the hospital in critical, but stable condition. And so my community's first concern is the recovery of those eight in the hospital and the concern for the families whose loved ones won't be coming home at Christmas break.

Providence Police, Brown Police, the FBI, all the law enforcement resources in the state of Rhode Island are at hand right now looking for the suspect. We are starting to go through video from throughout the area. It is a college campus. There are lots of cameras around. We are combing through that video now, and it is all hands on deck to find the suspect.

[19:45:10]

DEAN: And the victims, you noted, there are two victims who have died, eight who are in critical, but stable condition.

Can you tell us -- are they students?

SMILEY: I can't confirm that at this time. The building where the shooting occurred is a physics and engineering building and this is the end of finals right now. There were two final exams taking place in the building at that time, and Brown is just wrapping up the semester. And so as students finish their last final, they go home.

We can't confirm and have not commented on either the folks in the hospital or those who have deceased, but there were clearly students in the building and it is still -- the semester is still ongoing, although right at the tail end right now.

DEAN: Right. I just spoke before we came to you, to a young woman who was a student who was in that building studying. She wasn't in the exam rooms, but she was studying. She told me that the doors -- obviously, there are multiple doors to go into that building. It is a big building. But that the doors she went in are open, that anybody could come in. She didn't have to swipe a badge or anything like that.

Do you all have any sense of how this person got in the building? Did they just walk in?

SMILEY: So at the press conference just a little bit ago, the Provost at Brown reported that because there were exams taking place, the doors would have been unlocked. Maybe not every door inside the building, but the exterior doors and they have badge access to the building after hours, but since it was during regular hours and there were exams taking place, the exterior doors were unlocked.

And so based upon what we heard from officials at Brown, anybody could have accessed the building at that time. The first call came in at 4:05 P.M., and so it was still early afternoon.

DEAN: In terms of the manhunt that's now underway, I know you noted you live in an area very close to the campus there. We've talked to local reporters there who noted that it is a residential area kind of embedded in with the campus there.

How safe are the students and the people living in your neighborhood right now?

SMILEY: Everybody is understandably very anxious right now. We have a shelter in place, for the greater Brown University area. You're right, Brown is an open campus in a residential neighborhood and it is one of the beloved parts of my city.

And you know, residents from the neighborhood regularly walk their dog through the campus. It is not a walled off, gated campus in any way. And so, we have a shelter in place, and we are encouraging anyone if there are viewers watching from Providence to please stay posted to official city of Providence social media channels, where we will update if the shelter in place changes or when it is lifted.

But we know people are anxious and worried right now. We want the community to know that we are using every resource at our disposal to find the individual responsible and bring them to justice. But in the meantime, we are asking folks to stay inside and if they

are not at home to not return to their house at this time, and if anyone has any useful information, anything they think they might have seen, RING camera footage, et cetera, to please call the police to share that with us. That might aid in our investigation.

DEAN: And, Mayor, before I let you go, do you have any sense at this moment when we might hear from you again in terms of an official update?

SMILEY: We -- I am committed to providing regular updates throughout the evening and certainly in the days to come, although we hope that this comes to a conclusion very soon. We will notify about another press availability. There will certainly be at least one, if not multiple more this evening. We don't have a set timeline because we would like to share relevant and timely and new updates as they become available. But we will provide notice and then be fully transparent with our community. And with so many --

I mean, there are parents with kids from across the country reaching out. There are certainly family members here in providence. There are a lot of people who work for Brown or know someone who works for Brown that everyone is anxious for updates and we want to provide them.

And so, we will be as transparent and forthcoming as we can be with information as its available. But in the meantime, our primary focus is on, bringing the individual responsible to justice and praying for the successful recovery of the eight individuals who are in the hospital right now.

DEAN: Certainly, and hopefully, when we do hear from you again, perhaps there will be an image that can help guide people toward that suspect.

All right, Mayor Brett Smiley, thank you for your time. We certainly appreciate it.

SMILEY: Thank you, Jessica.

DEAN: We are going to take a break. We will be right back.

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[19:54:46]

DEAN: All right, we are continuing to follow breaking news coming out of Providence, Rhode Island where there has been a deadly shooting on the campus of Brown University that has left two people dead, eight critically injured. Those numbers could go up we are told, by the city's mayor, as they continue to investigate.

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We also know very critically that the suspect remains at large. All they know is that it is a male who was dressed in all black. A firearm was used but has not been recovered. I want to bring in former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.

As they are going about this search, it is now dark. The first call about this came in at 4:05. It is now almost 8:00 P.M. What are they thinking about? And what stands out to you as the challenges ahead as this night goes on?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, first, let me offer my condolences to the two people that were murdered this afternoon at Brown University and hope the remaining victims can recover from their injuries. You know, right now they are trying to lock down that area, you know, searches at night are very difficult, obviously.

And right now, they are certainly continuing to search and go through all the buildings on campus. Pretty soon, they are going to, if they haven't already, they will expand out to the neighborhood and start knocking on doors, for a couple of reasons. One, they want to make sure people are safe, but also if they have a RING doorbell or anything that might provide additional evidence.

You know, one thing that I don't know if it has been mentioned or not, but it is certainly night time now, but this happened around 4:00, so it still has some daylight. They may catch a break in terms of the video that they are able to capture just before the event took place and just after to be able to trace the route this individual took and they may be able to capture his facial features, for an example.

As soon as they get something worth putting out to the public, I am sure they will, but it has already been mentioned, this was a planned event. I mean, this individual did not plan on dying at the scene. He fled the scene on foot, but he may have had a car nearby. We just don't know at this point in time, whether or not he is still in the neighborhood.

But again, you have to err on the side of caution. They are going to search every inch of that area just to make sure it is safe and secure.

DEAN: Certainly. And as we heard from the mayor, a lot of very, very anxious and scared people in that area. Friends and family of people who live and go to school in that area.

Commissioner, in terms of just the -- I was asking this earlier to somebody else, the geography of where Providence is, it is on the East Coast. I-95 runs right, you know, you can hop on Interstates, that sort of thing. How much of that is factoring in to what law enforcement is thinking about? Are they reaching out to, you know, you think about Massachusetts or neighboring states, that sort of thing?

RAMSEY: They will do that. But unfortunately, right now they may not have a description of a vehicle to look for or an individual to look for. They certainly have notified people to be on the lookout, but further information is going to have to be developed in order for that to really be meaningful.

I mean, you can notify the State Police, but if they don't know what vehicle this individual might be driving, then it is not going to be very helpful. But more information is going to come out as time goes on. They no doubt have a lot of information now. They just can't release it at this point in time.

But, you know, listening to these students just reminds me, we have traumatized an entire generation of people. These are kids that grew up with active shooters when they were in elementary school. They've had to deal with active shooter drills in high school and now in college, and it is all because we just failed to do anything to get a grip on gun violence in this country and it is not going to stop, it is going to continue.

But it is just a shame, it is not just Brown. You know, if I was taking an exam at any university right now, I'd be looking over my shoulder. I mean, this is ridiculous.

DEAN: And it is a very unnecessary posture and feeling that they have to have.

All right, Charles Ramsey, thank you, as always. We really appreciate it.

Stay with us. we are going to take a break. Much more when we come.

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