Multiple people shot at US university, say police

Multiple people have been shot at a US university, police said.

Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island issued an active shooter alert and urged students and staff to take shelter during the second day of final exams on Saturday.

Police did not immediately release details about the number of victims, their conditions or the circumstances of the shooting.

University officials initially told students and staff that a suspect was in custody, before later saying that was not the case and that police were still searching for a suspect or suspects, according to alerts issued through the university’s emergency notification system.

The reported shooting occurred near the Barus & Holley building, a seven-storey complex that houses the university’s school of engineering and physics department.

According to the university’s website, the building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices.

US President Donald Trump said late in the afternoon that he has been briefed on the shooting.

“God bless the victims and the families of the victims!” he said on his social media site.

Students were urged to shelter in place as police responded to the scene, and people were told to avoid the area.

Officials cautioned that information remained preliminary as investigators worked to determine what had occurred.

Police were actively investigating and still gathering information from the scene, said Kristy DosReis, the chief public information officer for the city of Providence.

Brown is a private institution with roughly 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students.

Saturday was the second day of final exams for the autumn semester.