At least two dead and nine injured in a shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island, USA.

A student in a university lab described the moment he received a text message alerting him to a shooting nearby.

“There were three other students with me,” Cheung told local media outlet WJAR. “We decided to turn off the lights and hide under the desks.”

“I hoped no one was hurt, I felt safe in the lab,” he added.

The student claimed he was “under the desks for about two hours” before armed police arrived to escort them outside.

According to Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Pérez, the person arrested by law enforcement is approximately 30 years old.

In a press conference, the agency declined to provide further details on the matter, but confirmed that “we have arrested a person of interest” who remained in custody in the early hours of the morning and that they were not currently looking for other people in connection with the attack.

“Providence residents can breathe a little easier this morning,” said Mayor Brett Smiley, noting that the city’s curfew has been lifted.

US President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the shooting, which he called “a terrible thing.”

“The only thing we can do now is to pray for the victims and those seriously injured,” he added.

The president assured that information about what happened would be released “later.”

Police confirmed that a firearm was used in the attack but did not provide details of its type.

After the shooting, authorities urged students and residents of surrounding neighborhoods to stay indoors.

Restaurants around campus closed their doors and employees and customers stayed inside waiting for the emergency order to be lifted.

“Lights are flashing everywhere,” Boston Globe reporter Steph Machado told the BBC.

“The campus is typically a place where people feel very safe walking around,” Machado said. However, the normally busy student area is “strangely quiet” tonight.

There have been 389 shootings in the U.S. this year, according to the independent analysis website Gun Violence Archive.

Brown University said it supports its community and the families affected by the shooting.

He reported that his students were moved to a safe location where they can access support services.

“Our top priority is the safety of our community,” the university added.

Nearly four hours after the shooting, the university was still advising students to keep their doors closed and not move around campus.

However, after the suspect’s arrest, authorities reported that the shelter-in-place order had been lifted for people on and around Brown’s campus.

Brown University is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the United States.

It is part of the Ivy League, a group of elite universities in the northeast of the country.

The 11,000 students face intense competition for admission.

It is located in Providence, about 80 kilometers from Boston and 290 kilometers from New York.

Authorities said the shooting occurred in the Barus & Holley Engineering Building, located at the east end of the campus in the center of the city.

The seven-story building houses the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Physics. The facility has more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and three lecture halls.

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