A shooting in the engineering building at Brown University has left at least two people dead and eight injured, according to Providence’s mayor.

Providence Police posted on X: “Multiple shot in the area of Brown University”, after responding to a live shooting shortly after 4pm on Saturday local time.

The suspect was a male dressed in black and last seen leaving the building, said Timothy O’Hara, deputy chief of police.

He has still not been found and officers were hunting through buildings on the Ivy League campus more than two hours after the shooting.

Mayor Brett Smiley said a shelter-in-place was in effect for the area and encouraged people living near the campus to stay inside and not to return home until it was lifted.

“We have all available resources” to find the suspect, Mr Smiley said.

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Police did not immediately release details about the victims’ conditions or the circumstances of the shooting.

Officials in the state of Rhode Island on the east coast initially said a suspect was in custody, before saying that was not in fact the case and police were still searching for a suspect or suspects.

Follow live: The latest updates from the Brown University shooting

The incident was reported near the Barus & Holley building, a seven-storey structure that houses the School of Engineering and Physics Department, according to the school’s website.

It includes 117 laboratories, 150 offices, 15 classrooms and 29 labs. 

A police officer warned members of the media to take cover in vehicles because the area was still an active scene.

Officers carrying assault weapons and emergency vehicles lined many of the streets surrounding the engineering school.

An armed policeman patrols the streets in Providence.

Armed police are patrolling the Brown University campus. (AP: Steven Senne)

Chief public information officer for the city of Providence, Kristy DosReis, said officials were still gathering information from the active scene.

The Ivy League school is a private, nonprofit institution with about 7,300 undergraduates and just over 3,000 graduate students, according to its website.

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

Emergency services line a street in Providence.

Ambulances line Hope Street at Brown University in Providence. (AP: Mark Stockwell)

US President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the incident and that the FBI was on the scene.

“God bless the victims and the families of the victims!” he posted on Truth Social. 

Providence Council member John Goncalves, whose ward includes the Brown campus, said: “My heart goes out to all the family members and the folks who’ve been impacted.” 

“As a Brown alum, someone who loves the Brown community and represents this area, I’m heartbroken.”

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AP