Police arrest 'person of interest' after two die in US university shooting

Police made an arrest yesterday after a mass shooting at Brown University in which two students were killed and nine others injured.

- Maya Yang and Ed Helmore

In the latest shooting rampage to hit the US, a gunman attacked people on campus at the Ivy League institution on Saturday, prompting an enormous manhunt that fanned out across Providence, Rhode Island, after the suspected shooter fled.

Col Oscar Perez, the chief of the Providence police, confirmed yesterday that a "person of interest" in their 20s had been arrested.

Perez did not say whether the person was connected to Brown, but said investigators were not looking for anyone else in connection with the attack.

Saturday's shooting at the elite university occurred during final exams for the autumn semester at the campus, but students were told yesterday they were free to go home.

Francis J Doyle III, Brown University's provost, said: "At this time, it is essential that we focus our efforts on providing care and support to the members of our community as we grapple with the sorrow, fear and anxiety that is impacting all of us right now."

While there "will be many academic concerns about the implications of not holding classes and exams as scheduled ... for the moment, we encourage everyone to focus on their own safety and well-being," he added.

Brown University's president, Christina Paxson, wrote in an email to alumni that "the past 24 hours really have been unimaginable - it's a tragedy that no university community is ever ready for," the New York Times reported.

Speaking to Ocean State Media, the Brown economics professor Rachel Friedberg said the attack had occurred during a final exam review session for her class.

Friedberg, who was not present during the attack, learned of the details from a teaching assistant who was leading the session.

"The room has stadium seating with doors that enter at the top," Friedberg recounted.