What we know about police launching massive manhunt

Police are searching for a gunman who killed two students and wounded nine others at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Police said the attacker, a man dressed in black, fled on foot and a shelter-in-place warning was issued for the area around the prestigious university.

Independent analysis website says school attacks bring the number of mass shootings in the United States this year to 389 Gun Violence Archives.

It defines a mass shooting as one where four or more victims are killed or injured, not including the attacker.

Here’s what we know:

According to officials, at around 16:00 (21:00) local time on Saturday, a gunman opened fire in a classroom in the Hawley Engineering Building at the east end of the Brown University campus.

The school said final exams were being held in the building when the shooting occurred.

The Barus and Holley Engineering Building is a seven-story building that includes 117 laboratories, dozens of classrooms, and three lecture halls.

An economics professor told local public outlet Ocean Nation Radio that the shooting occurred during a review of her course, which was led by her teaching assistant.

“He said the shooter walked in the door, yelled something – he didn’t remember what he yelled – and started shooting,” Rachel Friedberg said.

She added: “Students began scrambling to escape the gunman, trying to hide in the lower seats of the stadium, and one person was shot.”

Two students studying at the nearby Rockefeller Library told the BBC they were “away from the windows” as they waited for a police escort when the gunman siren sounded.

The two said they were led out of the library after police searched the floor and asked them to put down their bags and raise their hands.

Brown University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States and is part of the Ivy League, an elite group of universities in the northeastern United States.

The university has more than 11,000 students and is located in Providence, Rhode Island, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Boston and 180 miles (290 kilometers) from New York City.

Two students died and nine others are receiving treatment. Medical staff said one of them was in critical condition, six were in “critical but stable condition” and the other two had minor injuries.

The identities of the victims have not been released, but Brown University President Christine Paxson told reporters at a news conference that all the victims, including those killed and injured, were students.

“We hope this day never comes to our community. This is a devastating blow to all of us,” she said in a statement.

The ninth victim did not suffer gunshot wounds, but they suffered non-life-threatening injuries from debris from the shooting “that occurred in their vicinity,” police said.

So far, little is known about the shooter, but police have released CCTV footage of a male suspect leaving the scene of the shooting wearing all black.

No weapon is seen in the video and his face is obscured. Officials also said a sweep of the building on Saturday found no firearms.

Investigators do not yet know if the shooter was a student, but Providence Police Deputy Chief Tim O’Hara said the suspect is a male wearing black clothing who appears to be in his 30s.

“We are using every possible resource to find this suspect,” he said.

Some witnesses reportedly told police he may have been wearing a camouflage gray mask.

One man was arrested and police later determined they were not involved in the shooting and released them.

A massive operation involving police and federal agents is currently underway in Providence, with about 400 police officers trying to find the suspect.

Residents and students near the university are told to stay home, stay indoors, or stay away until the shelter-in-place is lifted.

Students in the area told the BBC they planned to stay home until things calmed down and the gunman was caught.

President Donald Trump told reporters after returning to the White House from the annual Army and Navy football game that the shooting was “a terrible thing.”

“All we can do now is pray for the victims and those who were seriously injured,” he said.

Additional reporting by Pratiksha Ghildial