Manhunt underway after two killed and nine injured in shooting at US university
A manhunt is under way after two students were killed and nine other people were injured in a shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island
More than 400 police officers have attended the scene of a mass shooting at Brown University where two people have been killed and nine injured.
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Students were urged to take shelter as police responded to an "active shooter on campus" at Brown University in Rhode Island.
The school said the shooting unfolded near at the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building on the campus.
The Mayor of Providence Brett Smiley confirmed that two people have been killed in the incident, while eight people are in hospital in a critical but stable condition.
The FBI are on the scene and people have been told to avoid the area.
The police confirmed that they did have a suspect in custody, but this person has since been released as they were "later determined" to have "no involvement".
Tim O'Hara, deputy chief of Providence Police, described the suspect as a male dressed in black and said it is not yet known how he entered the building.
President Donald Trump has urged people to pray for the victims as he called the shooting a "terrible thing".
He said: "All we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt."
Multiple victims have been transported to local hospitals.
Final exams were taking place at the time of the attack.
Providence Council member John Goncalves, whose ward includes the Brown campus, said: "We're still getting information about what's going on, but we're just telling people to lock their doors and to stay vigilant.
"As a Brown alum, someone who loves the Brown community and represents this area, I'm heartbroken. My heart goes out to all the family members and the folks who've been impacted."
Brown University sent out an urgent alert at 4:22pm local time (9:22pm GMT), urging people to "lock doors, silence phones and stay hidden until further notice".
The alert also said people should run, evacuate safely if they could, hide or as a last resort they should "fight".
At 5:11pm, the university issued a fresh update telling people to continue to take shelter.
Christina H. Paxson, president of the university, released a statement expressing her sorrow at the "deeply tragic" events that unfolded.
She said: "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."
