Police have released video footage showing a suspected gunman who opened fire on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, killing two students.
Nine people, all or nearly all of whom are also believed to be students, were injured in the attack.
The brief video shows the suspect walking down a street away from the campus and turning a corner, dressed in dark, loose-fitting clothing.
Authorities said he appears to be in his 30s, but his exact age is unclear at this time.
The suspect remains at large, may have worn a mask, and people in the area have been urged to stay indoors. A manhunt is under way.
The shooting occurred inside a classroom on the first floor of the Barus & Holley engineering building, according to Providence Police Deputy Chief Tim O’Hara, who spoke at a news conference.
Providence mayor Brett Smiley said the number of injured had risen to nine after another person realised they had been struck by “fragments” from the shooting. He added that they are expected to make a full recovery.
Brown University provost Frank Doyle confirmed that final exams were taking place in the engineering building Saturday afternoon when the shooter opened fire.
Officers searched the buildings of the Ivy League campus and sifted through trash cans for several hours following the shooting.
“We have all available resources” to find the suspect, Mr O’Hara said at the news conference.
Mr Smiley said a person who was initially thought to be involved in the shooting was detained but was later determined to have no involvement.
He said the eight of the wounded people were in critical but stable condition.
Mr Smiley asked for prayers for the families of the victims, noting the coming Christmas holiday.
“It’s going to be a difficult rest of the day, difficult days and months ahead as this community heals,” he said.
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While the search for the gunman continues, there is no known threat to the larger community, the mayor said.
There will be an increased police presence in the city, he added.
“It’s a personal choice whether you want to cancel your holiday party, but we do not feel it is necessary,” Mr Smiley said.
“We do believe you can safely go to church tomorrow.”
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President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he had been briefed on the situation, which he called “terrible”.
“All we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt,” he added.
The shooting was reported near the Barus & Holley building, a seven-storey structure that houses the School of Engineering and Physics Department, according to the university’s website.
It includes 117 laboratories, 150 offices and 15 classrooms.
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Brown is a private university with roughly 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students.
Providence Council member John Goncalves, whose ward includes the Brown campus, said: “We’re still getting information about what’s going on, but we’re just telling people to lock their doors and to stay vigilant.
“As a Brown alum, someone who loves the Brown community and represents this area, I’m heartbroken. My heart goes out to all the family members and the folks who’ve been impacted.”
‘I was hoping that no one’s getting hurt’
Student Chiang-Heng Chien said he was working in one of the labs with three other students when they received a notification about a shooting nearby.
“We decided to turn the light off and close all the doors and hide under our desks, and wait for the next notification after the shooting,” he told reporters.
The students hid under the desks for about two hours.
“I was hoping that no one’s getting hurt and no one’s dead,” he said.
The students left the building when they received another notification, and security personnel moved in to search the facility.
Emma Ferraro, a chemical engineering student, was in the Barus & Holley lobby working on a final project when she heard loud popping sounds coming from the eastern side of the building.
For a moment, everyone paused and looked around, she recalled.
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Once Ferraro realised the sounds were gunshots, she rushed to the door and ran to a nearby building, where she had been sheltering for the past few hours.
Local media reports indicated that the manhunt was made more challenging by the large crowds in downtown Providence, where holiday shoppers and thousands of concertgoers were gathered.
