‘Show of force’: Brown Univ. professor describes police response

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(NewsNation) — A Brown University faculty member described the chaotic scene he witnessed after a gunman opened fire at a lab building Saturday, killing two people and injuring eight others.

Computer science professor Michael Littman said he was grading papers in the building next door to the active-shooter scene when Providence police swarmed the area.

Authorities, Littman said, moved people in his computer science building to the nearby science library, where they were sheltering in place Saturday evening. He praised police for the way they blanketed the neighborhood.

“The response, the show of force, has been really mind-blowing,” he told NewsNation. “The fog of war is what it is, and there’s a lot of confusion. But people are taking it very seriously, and they’re being very professional.”

Police say the shooting unfolded around 4 p.m. at a lab building known as Barus and Holley.

The suspect slipped out of an exit and was still at large as of Saturday evening.

“It’s very, very upsetting to have a community violated in this way. My heart goes out to everybody who is affected, directly and indirectly, by what’s happened. It’s very unnerving,” Littman said.

Crime

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