Investigators question a 24-year-old person of interest while the campus cancels exams and gathers for a vigil.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Brown University canceled remaining final exams and prepared for a vigil Sunday after a classroom shooting a day earlier left two students dead and nine others wounded, while police detained a 24-year-old Wisconsin man at a Coventry hotel for questioning in the case.
The attack inside the Barus & Holley engineering building struck during a review session and set off hours of fear across the Ivy League campus. Police said the detained man, identified as Benjamin Erickson, was being interviewed by detectives as they worked to confirm whether weapons seized during his arrest were linked to the gunfire. Officials did not immediately announce charges or a possible motive. Brown’s president, Christina Paxson, said the school would offer counseling, academic leniency, and financial help to affected students and families as investigators continued their work.
Students described a sudden barrage of shots, a stampede to the exits, and messages from friends still hiding as alerts filled their phones. “You don’t expect it to be your building or your class,” said Anaya Patel, a junior who was in a nearby lab and helped a shaken classmate outside to first responders. The university’s shelter-in-place order covered much of the East Side before being lifted early Sunday after authorities said they had a person of interest in custody and were not seeking additional attackers.
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said the man was found at a Hampton Inn in Coventry, around 28 miles from campus, shortly before dawn Sunday. Two firearms were recovered, including a handgun fitted with a laser sight. Mayor Brett Smiley praised the response from campus police, Providence officers, state troopers, and federal agents who fanned out across the city Saturday night. He said investigators were pursuing digital leads and canvassing businesses for surveillance video that might show the shooter’s movements after fleeing the campus.
Authorities said the two students who died would be identified after families were notified. Among the wounded, several remained hospitalized Sunday, including at least one in critical condition. The shooting came on the weekend marking the anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shooting, drawing statements of sympathy from state and national leaders. The Barus & Holley building houses engineering and physics classrooms and is often open for scheduled weekend sessions, particularly during finals.
University officials said academic deadlines would be adjusted and instructors would coordinate make-up plans once police finish processing classrooms. The Department of Public Safety said extra officers would remain on campus in the coming days. Perez said detectives were conducting interviews with dozens of students and staff, reviewing ballistic evidence, and awaiting lab results that could connect shell casings to the recovered guns. He said any charging decision would be made in consultation with prosecutors and announced at a formal briefing.
By Sunday evening, the campus quad was quiet except for small groups leaving flowers near the steps of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center. “We’ll remember them as classmates and friends,” said Ethan Morales, a senior who said he would attend the vigil. “Finals can be rescheduled. Lives can’t.” Students traded updates about hospitalized peers and checked on roommates who had sheltered in place for hours.
Police said the next update was expected Monday, Dec. 15, when investigators plan to discuss the status of the interview, forensic testing, and whether charges will be filed. The Barus & Holley building is expected to remain closed while crime scene work continues.
Author note: Last updated December 14, 2025.