Multiple victims reported in shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE R I AP Multiple people were shot Saturday in the area of Brown University police reported as the Ivy League school issued an working shooter alert and urged students and staff to take shelter during the second day of final exams Police did not without delay release details about the number of casualties their conditions or the circumstances of the shooting University representatives initially informed students and staff that a suspect was in custody before later saying that was not the incident and that police were still searching for a suspect or persons according to alerts issued through Brown s emergency notification system The published shooting occurred near the Barus Holley building a seven-story complex that houses the university s School of Engineering and physics department According to the university s website the building includes more than laboratories dozens of classrooms and offices President Donald Trump revealed late in the afternoon that he has been briefed on the shooting God bless the casualties and the families of the casualties he revealed on his social media site Students were urged to shelter in place as police responded to the scene and people were communicated to avoid the area Executives cautioned that information remained preliminary as investigators worked to determine what had occurred Police were actively analyzing and still gathering information from the scene noted Kristy DosReis the chief general information officer for the city of Providence Brown is a private institution with roughly undergraduate students and more than graduate students Saturday was the second day of final exams for the fall semester