The perpetrator of the attack on Brown University this Saturday (13/12), which left two dead and nine injured, almost all in serious condition, is still on the run. Police authorities in Providence, in the US state of Rhode Island, asked people to avoid going out into the streets until the man is arrested and, above all, not to go to the area of the institution.
More than 400 city, state and federal police are searching for the suspect. The attack took place in the university’s engineering and physics departments, when students were taking several exams.
All the victims were students, reported the higher education establishment, one of the most prestigious in the United States. Of the nine injured, eight are hospitalized in intensive care but in stable condition, said Brett Smiley, mayor of Providence, in the northeast of the country, during a press conference.
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Student Katie Sun told the Brown Daily Herald, a university newspaper, that she was studying in a nearby building when she heard the gunshots. She ran back to her dorm, leaving all her belongings behind. “It was very scary. The shots seemed to be coming from where the classrooms are,” she reported.
Trump “prays for the victims”
Police released video showing the suspect leaving the building, dressed in black clothing. Witnesses reported he was also wearing “a gray camouflage mask,” said Providence Deputy Police Chief Tim O’Hara, who asked witnesses to come forward with any information that could help the investigation. No weapons have been recovered by authorities to date.
“My heart breaks for the students who were looking forward to the holidays and instead have to deal with yet another frightening mass shooting,” Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said on X.
Donald Trump indicated on his Truth Social platform that he had been informed of the situation and that the FBI was on site. Returning to the White House after watching a college football game, he said: “What a terrible thing. All we can do now is pray for the victims,” he added.
More guns than people
According to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an event in which four or more people are injured by gunfire, more than 300 incidents have been recorded in the United States since the start of the year.
With more guns in circulation than people, the United States has the highest rate of gun deaths among developed countries. Successive governments have failed to contain the problem: the majority of Americans remain in favor of the right of civilians to carry revolvers, pistols or rifles, guaranteed by the Constitution.
In 2024, more than 16,000 people will be killed by guns, not including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
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