Overview
- A gunman shot people in Barus and Holley at Brown University on December 13, 2025, killing two students and injuring nine before a multi‑day manhunt ended with the suspect found dead in New Hampshire.
- The Police Executive Research Forum found Providence’s multiagency response was highly effective, noting officers were dispatched within minutes, entered the building quickly, and all victims were transported to hospitals within 13 minutes of responders’ arrival.
- A Brown‑commissioned Teneo review concluded the attack was highly unlikely to have been preventable but identified notable leadership and staffing weaknesses in Brown’s Department of Public Safety and failures to use campus alert systems and sirens.
- Both reviews cited operational and communication faults that slowed the investigation, including delays in giving Providence detectives stored campus surveillance footage, incorrect statements about shuttle‑bus cameras, and early radio interoperability and alerting gaps.
- Reports recommended retaining and governing technologies used to find the suspect, including automated license‑plate readers, while Brown has expanded cameras, added keycard access and replaced public‑safety leadership as civil lawsuits and a federal Clery Act review continue.