Providence, R.I. — A quiet college campus exploded into chaos Saturday afternoon when gunfire rang out inside the Barus & Holley Engineering Building at Brown University, leaving two students dead and nine others wounded during the second day of final exams. Hours later, law enforcement officials say they’ve taken 24-year-old Benjamin Erickson of Wisconsin into custody as a person of interest in the deadly attack, marking a grim chapter in the Ivy League school’s history.
The shooting unfolded just after 4 p.m. local time as students gathered for what should have been a routine economics review session. According to authorities, a lone gunman entered a first-floor classroom in the engineering building and opened fire, sending students scrambling for cover under desks and into hallways. Within minutes, Brown University’s public safety system blasted out an active-shooter alert, urging those on campus to lock doors and shelter in place.
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez Jr. later told reporters that two people were killed in the attack and nine were wounded, most of them students. Medical personnel at Rhode Island Hospital treated all nine gunshot victims; several were listed in critical but stable condition, and at least one was expected to recover fully, officials said.
In the predawn hours Sunday, a coordinated multi-agency effort led authorities to detain Erickson at a Hampton Inn hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 15–20 miles from the Brown campus. Agents from the FBI’s Boston Safe Streets Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Coventry police took him into custody without incident.
Investigators reportedly recovered two firearms in Erickson’s hotel room, including a revolver and a compact Glock fitted with a laser sight. Federal and local law enforcement officials have not yet charged him but are questioning him about his movements and possible motivations. At this stage, authorities have stressed that being detained as a person of interest does not mean charges have been filed, and they continue to comb through evidence.
Early background checks indicate Erickson is originally from Wisconsin and had previously attended a university there before transferring to Brown for the 2025 academic year. However, he was not listed as a current student at the time of the shooting. Public records and law enforcement sources also say he served in the U.S. Army and National Guard, and has been associated with work or study related to cyber warfare or military intelligence — though officials caution that those aspects of his history are being reviewed strictly as part of the broader investigation.
The attack has left Brown’s tight-knit community reeling. University President Christina H. Paxson canceled all remaining exams and classes for the semester and pledged ongoing support services for students, faculty and families. Nearby residents and businesses expressed profound shock, as the normally busy Providence streets stood eerily quiet under a heavy police presence.
In the wake of the tragedy, campus leaders and city officials have been grappling with both grief and unanswered questions about why this happened. As authorities continue to investigate, Brown students and the wider community are trying to come to terms with a moment that seemed unthinkable just days ago.
