PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When a gunman began firing inside an academic building on the Brown University campus, students didn't wait for official alerts warning of trouble. They got information almost instantly, in bits and bursts — through phones vibrating in pockets, messages from strangers, rumors that felt urgent because they might keep someone alive.
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Photos of Brown University shooting victims Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, left, and Ella Cook, are seen among flowers at a makeshift memorial at the school's Van Wickle Gate on Dec. 17 in Providence, R.I.
Ambulances line Hope Street at Brown University on Dec. 13 in Providence, R.I., during reports of a shooting.
A poster seeking information about the campus shooting suspect is seen on the campus of Brown University, Dec. 17, in Providence, R.I.
People hold candles during a vigil Dec. 14 in Providence, R.I., for victims of the shooting on the campus of Brown University.
Police vehicles are parked in intersections in a neighborhood near Brown University on Dec. 14 in Providence, R.I.
Photos show aftermath, search for Brown University shooter
A law enforcement officer canvasses with a police dog as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
An FBI Evidence Response Team searches the grounds of a building, with a security camera on the second floor, next to the site of the Brown University shooting, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Law enforcement officers canvass Waterman Street as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Brown University students move out as campus closes for the semester and the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Dan Beazley, a resident of Michigan, speaks with students while he holds a cross in front of the Barus & Holley engineering building as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Flowers and a stuffed bear rest in front of the Van Wickle Gates as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Brown University students wait at Providence Station to board trains out of the city, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Photos of the two victims, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook, rest among the flowers in front of the Barus & Holley engineering building as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Photos of the two victims, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook, rest among the flowers in front of the Barus & Holley engineering building as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
An altar server lights the candle of a community member during a community service dedicated to healing at St. Stephen’s Church, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
St. Stephen’s Church holds a community service dedicated to healing, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 16, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
A police vehicle stands near the site of a mass shooting reported by authorities at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 13, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
An "America study is at stake" sign is attached to a pole, at the site of Saturday's mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Maria Alejandra Cardona TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Brown University students are escorted by police as they leave the building where the shooting occurred in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 13, 2025. Marc Vasconcellos/USA Today Network via REUTERS. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
Flowers and candles rest in front of the Barus & Holley engineering building, the day after Brown University was locked down amid reports of a shooting on campus in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
People embrace during a candlelit vigil at Lippitt Memorial Park, following a shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Students stand in front of the Van Wickle Gates after placing flowers, following a shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Attendees light their candles during a vigil at Lippitt Memorial Park the evening after Brown University was locked down amid reports of a shooting on campus in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Attendees hold candles and listen to local artists sing during a vigil at Lippitt Memorial Park the evening after Brown University was locked down amid reports of a shooting on campus in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Attendees wait for hot beverages and blankets from Providence Canteen truck and Red Cross during a vigil at Lippitt Memorial Park the evening after Brown University was locked down amid reports of a shooting on campus in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 14, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Claudio Neves Valente, suspect in the Brown University shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, picks up a vehicle at an Alamo Rent a Car in this frame grab from CCTV released in an affidavit by the Providence Police December 18, 2025. Providence Police/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY
Local, state and federal law enforcement agents, including from the FBI, take part in the search for the Brown University shooter, in Salem, New Hampshire, U.S., December 18, 2025. REUTERS/CJ Gunther
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, with Providence Police Chief Colonel Oscar Perez and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, announce that the Brown University shooter, shown in photographs behind them and identified as Claudio Neves Valente, was found dead, during a press conference in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 18, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Claudio Neves Valente, suspect in the Brown University shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, picks up a vehicle at an Alamo Rent a Car on November 17, 2025 in this frame grab from CCTV released in an affidavit by the Providence Police on December 18, 2025. Providence Police/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
An investigator works the scene at a storage facility where the Brown University shooter, identified by authorities as Claudio Neves Valente, took his own life, in Salem, New Hampshire, U.S., December 18, 2025. REUTERS/CJ Gunther
