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Police in Rhode Island say they have a person of interest in custody after a shooting at Brown University killed two students and wounded nine others.
The incident happened Saturday afternoon in a classroom during final exams.
The shooting paralyzed the campus, with students sheltering in place for hours. Nine students with gunshot wounds were taken to the hospital, with one in critical condition. An FBI agent says the arrest took place at a hotel in Coventry, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Providence.
The latest:
Sandy Hook Promise group releases statement
A group that works to end gun violence has issued a statement in support of the victims of the shooting at Brown University.
The statement was released Saturday by Sandy Hook Promise.
Thirteen years ago today, 26 precious lives were stolen at Sandy Hook Elementary. It was an attack that could have been prevented if the warning signs had been taken seriously. Now, the Brown University community has been shaken by this same kind of nightmare, students shot and killed in their classroom.
The fact that these college students were elementary school students in 2012 underscores the sobering truth: an entire generation of youth in America has grown up with threats of being shot in a classroom.
Investigation progressing ‘extremely fast’
Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez did not give any details about the progress of the investigation except to say it was progressing “extremely fast.”
No other information about the progress of the investigation was released at a noon press conference in Providence.
Meanwhile, the city’s mayor said he visited victims in the hospital.
“The resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me was frankly overwhelming,” Mayor Brett Smiley said.
Authorities still haven’t recovered a gun
Armed with a handgun, the shooter fired more than 40 9 mm rounds, according to a law enforcement official.
Authorities as of Sunday morning hadn’t recovered a gun but did recover two loaded 30-round magazines, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
— by Alanna Durkin Richer
The semester’s remaining classes, exams are canceled
Classes and exams have been canceled. University officials also said students are free to leave.
Those who remain on campus will have access to services and support, Provost Francis Doyle said in a statement.
“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,” Doyle wrote.
Senate Democrat criticizes GOP leaders over gun policy
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, one of the leading Democratic voices on gun policy, said Sunday that the prospects of new restrictions on firearms were “slim.”
“As we know right now, unfortunately, the Republicans in Congress don’t ever meaningfully break from this president,” Murphy said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” arguing that Trump and the GOP were too aligned with the gun lobby.
Murphy added: “That doesn’t mean I won’t try.”
