Brown University Shooting: Survivors Turned Activists Face Second Tragedy

Two students who survived past school shootings are now confronting a second tragedy at Brown University.

Survivors with a History of Violence

Mia Tretta, 21, was shot during the 2019 mass shooting at Saugus High School, about 40 miles north of Los Angeles. A 16‑year‑old boy carried out that attack, killing two, including Tretta’s best friend, and injuring three before fatally shooting himself. Zoe Weissman, 20, attended Westglades Middle School, adjacent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a former student opened fire, killing 17 in 2018. Neither Tretta nor Weissman expected to experience a mass shooting again.

The Brown Incident

On Saturday, an unidentified gunman entered the Brown University campus, killing two students and injuring nine before fleeing. The incident left the campus community in shock and prompted an immediate response from local authorities. The gunman’s identity remains unknown.

Emotional Reactions and Activism

“We’re the only ones who have survived before, and now we’re here again,” Tretta said. She chose Brown because she believed its smaller size would translate to greater safety, yet the trauma of her injury followed her to campus. She can’t enter a library alone for fear that another shooting could happen.

Weissman was at her dorm when a friend called to say students were running away from a campus building and a shooting was likely underway. She stayed put and has remained in her dorm room since she first heard the news. “At first, I was panicked,” Weissman, a sophomore pre‑med student, said in a phone interview. “Once I knew a little more and I didn’t feel there was imminent danger, I felt numb — exactly how I did when I was 12.”

Weissman has become an activist calling for greater gun regulation. When she was 16, she was president of March for Our Lives in Parkland, a chapter of the group co‑founded by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor David Hogg. “I’m angry that I thought I’d never have to deal with this again, and here I am eight years later,” Weissman said. She believes that the activism helps her heal and draws attention to gun regulation. “I think the fact this is my second shooting can be very impactful for people,” she added. “When people put a face to something, they care a lot more.”

Tretta said the day she was shot in 2019 changed her life forever. “I have not been the same person I was that day ever again,” she said, “and I assume it won’t be any different for the students at Brown.”

Key Takeaways

• Two former school shooting survivors, Mia Tretta and Zoe Weissman, were present during a second shooting at Brown University.
• The Brown incident left two students dead and nine injured, with the gunman’s identity still unknown.
• Both survivors have turned their experiences into activism, advocating for stricter gun regulations.

The recent tragedy at Brown University underscores the persistent threat of gun violence and the profound impact it has on individuals who have already endured such trauma. Their voices serve as a stark reminder that no community is immune, and that the call for change continues to grow louder in the wake of each new loss.