Person of interest held in shooting attack at Brown University

A person of interest was in custody Sunday after a shooting during final exams at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, that killed two students and wounded nine others.

The Associated Press reports that the person of interest is a 24-year-old man from Wisconsin. He was taken into custody at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 20 miles from Providence.

The attack Saturday afternoon set off hours of chaos across the Ivy League campus and surrounding Providence neighborhoods as hundreds of officers searched for the shooter.

The gunman began shooting inside a classroom in the engineering building, firing more than 40 rounds from a 9 mm handgun, authorities said. Two handguns were recovered when the person of interest was taken into custody, and authorities also found two loaded 30-round magazines. One of the firearms was equipped with a laser sight that projects a dot to aid in targeting,

Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief, said no one else was being sought in connection with the shooting. He declined to say whether the detained person had any connection to Brown.

The shooting occurted as students were beginning final exams. Brown has canceled all remaining classes, exams, papers and projects for the semester

One of the nine wounded students had been released from the hospital, said Paxson. Seven others were in critical but stable condition, and one was in critical condition.

Investigators were not immediately sure how the shooter got inside the first-floor classroom at the Barus & Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the School of Engineering and physics department.

Engineering design exams were underway. Outer doors of the building were unlocked but rooms being used for final exams required badge access.