Emergency Information

December 13, 11:06pm:

BrownUAlert: Law enforcement agencies have established a perimeter around a portion of Brown’s campus, as depicted on a map published at http://www.brown.edu (below). Individuals already in residential buildings within the perimeter should continue to shelter in place there. Police will enter all administrative (non-residential) buildings within the perimeter marked by the red boxes on the map to escort all individuals to safe locations outside of the perimeter. All individuals inside administrative buildings within the perimeter should continue to shelter in place until law enforcement officers arrive. For all locations (inside and outside the perimeter), the shelter in place remains ongoing — unless escorted by a law enforcement officer, this means ensuring no movement across or near campus.

December 13, 9:29pm:

BrownUAlert: The Brown campus continues to be in lockdown, and it is imperative that all members of our community remain sheltered in place. This means keeping all doors locked and ensuring no movement across campus. The law enforcement response remains ongoing. Safety is the utmost and essential priority.

December 13, 8:28pm:

BrownUAlert: The Brown campus continues to be in lockdown, and it is imperative that all members of our community remain sheltered in place. This means keeping all doors locked and ensuring no movement across campus. The law enforcement response remains ongoing. Safety is the utmost and essential priority.

December 13, 7:38pm:

Dear Brown Community,

This is a deeply tragic day for Brown, our families and our local community. There are truly no words that can express the deep sorrow we are feeling for the victims of the shooting that took place today at the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building.

We lost two community members today who were fatal victims of the shooting, and at this point, we know there are at least eight additional victims who were transported to the hospital. In this moment, they are in critical but stable condition, but this is an evolving situation. Our hearts are with their families.

Our Department of Public Safety has been working closely with law enforcement and has been informed that the suspect is still at large and the situation remains active. We know this is a source of tremendous fear and anxiety across our community right now. While DPS was at one point informed that there was an individual in custody, that person was determined not to be the shooting suspect after questioning. Therefore, we urge all members of our community to remain vigilant. We continue to be in lockdown, and it is imperative that all members of our community remain sheltered in place. This means keeping all doors locked and ensuring no movement across campus.

We know our community wants answers, and we will provide them as soon as we can. For now, please know we are doing all we can to keep our community safe and have mobilized support for the students and their families. I encourage you to read the updates being provided via the RAVE alert system and Brown.edu website about this emergency. We are committed to providing updates as soon as information is available.

As we have shared in the alerts, law enforcement is actively working to identify the community members who lost their lives, and we are working with local hospitals to identify those transported for care. Even when we have that information, we may not be able to release it to our campus immediately. Whether or not you spend any time in Barus & Holley, I ask all students, faculty and staff to please be in touch directly with your families to let them know you are safe. They are worried about you.

This is a day that we hoped never would come to our community. It is deeply devastating for all of us. We are grateful to law enforcement for their immediate response and their ongoing work to ensure the safety of our community. Please continue to take all steps to be safe.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson 
President

December 13, 7:30pm:

BrownUAlert: Situation remains ongoing. Continue to shelter in place. Law enforcement remains on site.

December 13, 6:33pm:

Brown Community,

We are providing an update to the active shooting situation. We are very sorry to share that we have confirmed reports of two deceased victims from the active shooting situation at the Barus & Holley engineering building.

There are eight additional victims in critical, but stable condition at the hospital. There remains a shelter in place order. The shooter or shooters still are not in custody at this time. Law enforcement is active in the area.

We know there is a lot of fear and concern and uncertainty in the community right now. Law enforcement is actively working to identify the deceased victims, and the hospital personnel also are working to identify those transported to the hospital.

As a reminder, please continue to take all steps to remain safe. Follow the instructions of law enforcement personnel and avoid the area. The safety of our community is foremost.

Any students or Brown community members who were in Barus & Holley at the time of the incident are being asked to contact police if they already have left Barus & Holley.  

December 13, 6:10pm:

BrownUAlert: Active Shooter: The earlier report of a secondary shooting incident near Governor Street is unfounded. However, it remains critical to continue to shelter in place due to the original situation. Stay tuned for further safety information.

December 13, 6:05pm:

At 4:22 p.m., we alerted our campus to an active shooter incident near Barus & Holley Engineering. We immediately informed our community to shelter in place by locking doors, silencing phones and staying hidden until further notice. We have been providing further information to our community as and when it becomes available, but this remains an active crime scene, and law enforcement continues to search for the suspect. The situation is ongoing, and all members of the community should continue to shelter in place.

We are very sorry to share that we have confirmed reports of multiple shooting victims, but we do not yet have information about their condition that we are in a position to share. They have been transported to local hospitals.

Our first priority is the safety of our community and coordinating closely with local law enforcement and medical personnel to ensure their safety. We are working immediately to determine who was in the building at the time of the shooting. We had multiple exams scheduled in that building from 2 pm to 5 pm. We can confirm that support services are on site. We have also relocated students to get support services at a secure location.

Senior administrative leaders from across the University are convened in emergency command to mobilize ongoing response and support for our community. We are establishing support for our community and families.

We have been and continue to be very grateful to law enforcement and emergency medical personnel. Please continue to take all steps to remain safe. Follow the instructions of law enforcement personnel and avoid the area.

December 13, 5:52pm:

BrownUAlert: Urgent: Situation remains ongoing. Continue to shelter in place. Law enforcement on site.

December 13, 5:27pm:

BrownUAlert: Urgent: Report of shots fired near Governor street. Continue to shelter in place. Stay clear. Law enforcement responding. 

December 13, 5:11pm:

BrownUAlert: Urgent: Continue to shelter in place. Remain away from Barus & Holley area. Police do not have a suspect in custody and continue to search for suspect(s). Brown coordinating with multiple law enforcement agencies on site. Emergency medical on scene. Stay tuned for further safety information.

December 13, 4:22pm:

BrownUAlert: 1st, Urgent: There's an active shooter near Barus & Holley Engineering. Lock doors, silence phones and stay stay hidden until further notice. Remember: RUN, if you are in the affected location, evacuate safely if you can; HIDE, if evacuation is not possible, take cover;  FIGHT, as a last resort, take action to protect yourself.  Stay tuned for further safety information.

About the Emergency Information website

This website — Brown’s Emergency Information website — is the official source for information from the University about emergencies affecting campus. In the event of an emergency, this site will be updated continually with information about the nature of the emergency, how to remain safe and the status of campus operations. Updates on weather conditions that affect campus operations are posted to the site as well.

In the absence of an emergency, general information and resources are included below.

What to expect in an emergency

In the event of an emergency, please continue to check this page for updates. Details included on this page during an emergency will include:

• Information and updates about the nature of the emergency
• Steps being taken to address the emergency
• Current status, with cumulative chronology
• Any necessary instructions for the University community
• Resources for further information

In any emergency, Brown’s chief priority will be the safety of students, faculty, staff and affected community members. Other priorities include the mitigation of damage; communication with members of the University community; and recovery and restoration of academic and research operations.

How to ensure that you’ll receive emergency alerts

During emergency situations, the University will deliver alerts and instructions to Brown community members via mobile phones and other communications platforms. To ensure that Brown can reach you, students, faculty and staff should provide their mobile phone number for use during emergencies. Personal mobile phone numbers will only be used by authorized personnel for emergencies or official business.

To make sure your information is up to date:

• Brown students: provide your mobile phone number in Banner.
• Brown faculty and staff: provide your mobile phone number in Workday.