Two people were killed and nine were injured in a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday afternoon.
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Brown University and Providence, Rhode Island, police said this morning that a suspect has been arrested following a shooting that left two people dead and nine wounded. The shooting stunned the university and the city. Reporter Ian Donnis of Ocean State Media covered this story and joins us now from Providence. Good morning, Ian.
IAN DONNIS, BYLINE: Good morning, Aisha.
RASCOE: And what did the police say about the person we were interested in?
DONNIS: This man was arrested overnight and investigators were constantly working at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island. It is a semi-rural town about 26 miles southwest of Providence. It is unclear why this person was there. He is a man in his 30s who matches the description of the shooter. Additionally, at this time, investigators have revealed very little about the suspect and have not identified a motive.
RASCOE: Can you tell us what we know about how this shooting happened?
DONNIS: It happened yesterday in a Brown University engineering and physics class. An active shooter alarm was received around 4 p.m. The place was very specific. Brown University President Christina Paxson said students were taking a final economics exam there and investigators were looking into why it happened there, but the shooter was able to leave the building and walk into the surrounding area.
RASCOE: Do we know anything about the victims – who they were, what they were doing, when this all happened? I know you said it happened in a place where people were taking exams. But do we know anything about the victims?
DONNIS: Very little is known about the victims, including their identities. Two of the dead were Brown University students. Nine more people were injured. Eight of them were students, and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley addressed their condition at a news conference this morning.
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BRETT SMILEY: Seven people remain in stable condition, one remains in critical but stable condition and one has been released. These are nine people who were injured yesterday.
RASCOE: So, how are things going this morning on campus and around Providence? How do people cope?
DONNIS: I think there's some relief that the suspect has been arrested. Of course, people get emotional. Mayor Smiley spoke very emotionally about how he knew intellectually that mass shootings were happening in America, but did not expect it to happen here in Providence and in Rhode Island. So President Paxson of Brown University spoke about the impact on campus.
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CHRISTINA PAXSON: Everyone is feeling uncomfortable and we have a long recovery ahead of us.
DONNIS: And it's getting to the point where people are going to have to deal with this for a long time. The university has consulting resources. Exams are canceled for now, and… but people are feeling some relief with the news that a suspect has been arrested and the stay-at-home order has been lifted.
RASCOE: This is Ian Donnis from our radio station, Ocean State Media, in Providence. Ian, thank you very much.
DONNIS: Thank you.
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