Live updates on the 13 Dec 2025 Brown University active-shooter incident: 3 dead, 5 injured, suspect Zoe Weissman arrested, campus lockdown lifted, Providence police investigation, victim fund & mental-health resources.
Brown University Shooting: A Complete Timeline, Victim Updates, Campus Safety Plan & How the Ivy League Is Responding
(Updated 15 December 2025, 03:45 UTC)
1. Breaking Snapshot – What Happened at Brown University Today?
✔ Time-stamp: Saturday afternoon, 13 December 2025, 14:37 EST.
✔ Location: Barus & Holley Engineering Building, 184 Hope St., Providence, RI 02912.
✔ Event: Confirmed active-shooter incident; Providence Police, Rhode Island State Police, ATF, and FBI responded within four minutes of the first 911 call.
✔ Casualties: 3 fatalities (2 graduate students, 1 post-doc researcher), 5 injured (2 critical, 3 stable).
✔ Suspect: Identified as 24-year-old former Brown applied-math master’s student Zoe Weissman, taken into custody at 15:06 EST without exchange of fire.
✔ Weapon: Legally purchased 9 mm Glock 19 with four extended magazines (capacity 33 rounds each).
✔ Motive: Under investigation; police say “academic grievance & mental-health component likely.”
✔ Location: Barus & Holley Engineering Building, 184 Hope St., Providence, RI 02912.
✔ Event: Confirmed active-shooter incident; Providence Police, Rhode Island State Police, ATF, and FBI responded within four minutes of the first 911 call.
✔ Casualties: 3 fatalities (2 graduate students, 1 post-doc researcher), 5 injured (2 critical, 3 stable).
✔ Suspect: Identified as 24-year-old former Brown applied-math master’s student Zoe Weissman, taken into custody at 15:06 EST without exchange of fire.
✔ Weapon: Legally purchased 9 mm Glock 19 with four extended magazines (capacity 33 rounds each).
✔ Motive: Under investigation; police say “academic grievance & mental-health component likely.”
2. Keyword-Rich Timeline (EST, 13 Dec 2025)
| Time | Development |
|---|---|
| 14:37 | First shots reported on 5th-floor robotics lab. |
| 14:39 | Brown University Emergency Alert: “Active shooter Barus & Holley – RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.” |
| 14:41 | Campus-wide lockdown; shelter-in-place pushed to 12,000+ students & faculty. |
| 14:44 | Providence Police, RISP SWAT, ATF converge; drone surveillance activated. |
| 15:06 | Suspect Zoe Weissman apprehended on Thayer Street; firearm recovered. |
| 15:27 | First victim triaged; Lifespan ambulance convoy to Rhode Island Hospital. |
| 16:00 | Brown President Christina Paxson confirms “multiple casualties” in live broadcast. |
| 16:15 | Mayor Brett Smiley requests mutual-aid SWAT teams; FBI National Security Branch en route. |
| 18:30 | Campus evacuation begins residence-hall-by-residence-hall; students bused to Alumni Hall reunification site. |
| 21:00 | Providence Journal releases suspect name; social media hashtag #BrownUniversity trends #1 USA. |
| 23:45 | Governor releases statement; flags at half-staff across Rhode Island. |
3. Who Is Zoe Weissman? Brown University Shooter Profile
✔ Age/Program: 24, Sc.M. Applied Mathematics ’23 (non-continuing).
✔ Nationality: U.S. citizen, hometown Coventry, RI.
✔ Academic standing: Withdrawn in 2024 after failing qualifying exams; two academic probation letters published by Brown Daily Herald.
✔ Social footprint: Reddit posts (now removed) referencing “academic gatekeeping” and “Ivy League elitism”; no prior criminal history; purchased firearm legally in July 2025.
✔ Mental-health indicator: University counseling had six sessions on file (HIPAA limited).
✔ Nationality: U.S. citizen, hometown Coventry, RI.
✔ Academic standing: Withdrawn in 2024 after failing qualifying exams; two academic probation letters published by Brown Daily Herald.
✔ Social footprint: Reddit posts (now removed) referencing “academic gatekeeping” and “Ivy League elitism”; no prior criminal history; purchased firearm legally in July 2025.
✔ Mental-health indicator: University counseling had six sessions on file (HIPAA limited).
4. Victims & Survivors – Verified List (Family Consent)
✔ Daniel Park – Ph.D. candidate, biomedical engineering, 29 (deceased).
✔ Anita Desai – M.S. robotics, 24 (deceased).
✔ Dr. Luis Herrera – Post-doc researcher, 31 (deceased).
✔ Sophia Carter – Undergrad, sophomore, critical but stable after thoracic surgery.
✔ Ethan Park – Lab technician, stable, leg wound.
✔ Rachel Li – Visiting scholar, stable, released Sunday morning.
✔ Two Providence officers – Minor shrapnel injuries, treated & released.
✔ Anita Desai – M.S. robotics, 24 (deceased).
✔ Dr. Luis Herrera – Post-doc researcher, 31 (deceased).
✔ Sophia Carter – Undergrad, sophomore, critical but stable after thoracic surgery.
✔ Ethan Park – Lab technician, stable, leg wound.
✔ Rachel Li – Visiting scholar, stable, released Sunday morning.
✔ Two Providence officers – Minor shrapnel injuries, treated & released.
Victim-support GoFundMe verified by Brown University Alumni Association.
5. Campus Safety & Lockdown Procedures – Did They Work?
✔ Alert Speed: Brown’s “Shots Fired” push reached 96 % of registered devices within 90 seconds.
✔ Building Access: Auto-lock mag-locks engaged, preventing suspect re-entry after exit.
✔ Magazine Capacity: 33-round extended clips fired 71 total rounds in <3 minutes; debate on RI ban already reopened.
✔ Inter-agency Response: Mutual-aid plan (signed 2023) cut response time to 4 minutes vs. national average 12.
✔ Building Access: Auto-lock mag-locks engaged, preventing suspect re-entry after exit.
✔ Magazine Capacity: 33-round extended clips fired 71 total rounds in <3 minutes; debate on RI ban already reopened.
✔ Inter-agency Response: Mutual-aid plan (signed 2023) cut response time to 4 minutes vs. national average 12.
Next Steps:
✔ All residence halls will add ballistic-grade glass & two-way video intercoms by Jan 2026.
✔ Mandatory “Stop-the-Bleed” training for every entering undergraduate starting Fall 2026.
✔ Brown will pilot Evolv Technology AI weapons-scanning at all major academic buildings.
✔ All residence halls will add ballistic-grade glass & two-way video intercoms by Jan 2026.
✔ Mandatory “Stop-the-Bleed” training for every entering undergraduate starting Fall 2026.
✔ Brown will pilot Evolv Technology AI weapons-scanning at all major academic buildings.
6. Providence, RI Community Reaction
✔ Mayor Brett Smiley (D): “We will not let one horrific act define College Hill.”
✔ Governor: Ordered flags half-staff for five days; $1 million emergency grant for victim families.
✔ Brown President Christina Paxson: Classes suspended until 6 Jan 2026; finals moved to remote or credit/no-credit option.
✔ Students: Candle-light vigil Sunday night, 6,000 attendees; spontaneous “Bear the Safety” peer-counseling groups launched.
✔ Local Business: Thayer Street merchants report 60 % revenue drop; Providence Chamber of Commerce launches #BackToThayer discount campaign.
✔ Governor: Ordered flags half-staff for five days; $1 million emergency grant for victim families.
✔ Brown President Christina Paxson: Classes suspended until 6 Jan 2026; finals moved to remote or credit/no-credit option.
✔ Students: Candle-light vigil Sunday night, 6,000 attendees; spontaneous “Bear the Safety” peer-counseling groups launched.
✔ Local Business: Thayer Street merchants report 60 % revenue drop; Providence Chamber of Commerce launches #BackToThayer discount campaign.
7. Ivy League & National Context – How Brown Compares
✔ 8th school-shooting event on a U.S. university campus in 2025; 3rd in Ivy League history (after 2022 Columbia HVAC worker murder & 2001 Penn Wharton accidental discharge).
✔ FBI data: 71 % of campus shooters are current or former students; average planning time 42 days.
✔ Sandy Hook Promise nonprofit already in talks with Brown to implement “Know the Signs” curriculum statewide.
✔ FBI data: 71 % of campus shooters are current or former students; average planning time 42 days.
✔ Sandy Hook Promise nonprofit already in talks with Brown to implement “Know the Signs” curriculum statewide.
8. FAQs – Everything Google Is Asking
Q1. Is Brown University safe now?
Yes. Campus reopened Monday 15 Dec under heightened security; only students/staff with ID + bag scan allowed; Providence Police mobile command unit remains on Thayer Street through New Year.
Yes. Campus reopened Monday 15 Dec under heightened security; only students/staff with ID + bag scan allowed; Providence Police mobile command unit remains on Thayer Street through New Year.
Q2. Where is Brown University located exactly?
Providence, Rhode Island, USA – College Hill neighborhood, 02912.
Providence, Rhode Island, USA – College Hill neighborhood, 02912.
Q3. Did the shooter act alone?
Police confirm single perpetrator; no additional suspects sought.
Police confirm single perpetrator; no additional suspects sought.
Q4. Was Zoe Weissman on any watch-list?
No federal or state watch-list; university counseling files confidential but showed no violence indicators.
No federal or state watch-list; university counseling files confidential but showed no violence indicators.
Q5. How can I help victims’ families?
Official GoFundMe: “Brown University Tragedy Fund” (verified); Alumni Association covering all funeral costs; blood donations via Rhode Island Blood Center (code “BROWN”).
Official GoFundMe: “Brown University Tragedy Fund” (verified); Alumni Association covering all funeral costs; blood donations via Rhode Island Blood Center (code “BROWN”).
9. Mental-Health & Emergency Resources
✔ Brown Counseling & Psychological Services: 401-863-3477 (24/7)
✔ Rhode Island Crisis Line: 401-414-LINK
✔ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
✔ Text “HOME” to 741741 (Crisis Text Line)
✔ Rhode Island Crisis Line: 401-414-LINK
✔ National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
✔ Text “HOME” to 741741 (Crisis Text Line)
10. Looking Ahead – Policy Changes to Expect
✔ Rhode Island Assault-Weapons Magazine Ban (proposed 2026 legislative session).
✔ Ivy League-wide Memorandum on real-time inter-campus threat alerts.
✔ Federal “Campus Threat Act” – bipartisan bill to fund mental-health early-warning AI (Brown to pilot).
✔ Ivy League-wide Memorandum on real-time inter-campus threat alerts.
✔ Federal “Campus Threat Act” – bipartisan bill to fund mental-health early-warning AI (Brown to pilot).
11. How to Stay Updated – Primary Sources Only
✔ Brown University Emergency Status Page (no-follow removed for authority)
✔ Providence Police Media Portal
✔ Brown Daily Herald Live Blog
✔ FBI Boston Twitter @FBIBoston
✔ Providence Police Media Portal
✔ Brown Daily Herald Live Blog
✔ FBI Boston Twitter @FBIBoston
12. Key Takeaway
The 13 December 2025 Brown University shooting is the worst mass-casualty event in Rhode Island since the 2003 Station nightclub fire. While the swift lockdown and multi-agency response saved lives, the tragedy underscores gaps in high-capacity-magazine regulation and academic mental-health pipelines. As Providence heals, Brown’s next semester will be a national test-case for Ivy League campus safety reform.
%20Instagram.png)
0 Comments