On December 13, a shooting at Brown University left two people dead and nine others wounded, and one graduate student shared how she narrowly escaped the violent scene.
The Day of the Shooting
The incident unfolded in the early afternoon, with the shooter entering the building just minutes after Eva Erickson left her graduate office at around 4 p.m. She had stepped out just before the gunfire began, a timing she later described as “I was leaving the building within five minutes of the shooter coming in.”
Eva’s Escape
After leaving her office, Erickson found herself in the school’s indoor track and basketball area, where she sheltered until the danger passed. She said she was only allowed to return to her off‑campus residence at about 1:30 a.m. “On campus today has just been so eerie,” she added, noting the quiet and the rapid departure of students and faculty. “Everybody is leaving. Everyone is trying to get the hell away from Brown to get home to their families where they can feel safe.”
The Scene After the Shooting
Driving past Barus & Holley, the building where the shooting occurred, Erickson saw the aftermath. She recalled, “The door that I had exited mere minutes before the shooter would have entered was covered up. Boarded off, crime scene tape all around the building. Still a lot of police presence.”
Friends, Teammates, and the “What Ifs”
Erickson is also the captain of the university’s club hockey team, and she spoke of hearing from her friends and lab mates during the initial lockdown. She said they were all good, but the event left her with a flood of “what ifs.” “All I can think is that it could have been one of my friends,” she said. “That could have been one of my teammates.”
Reflections on Safety
She expressed disbelief that such an incident could happen on her campus. “You think that this is never going to happen to you,” she reflected. “It’s never going to happen on your campus. It was never going to happen on Brown, right? But it did and it could have happened to anyone. And that’s what’s so scary.”
A Call for Change
Erickson ended her video with a plea for broader change. “This can’t keep happening at schools across America,” she urged. “I don’t know if I don’t have the tools,” she added, “but somebody does, and somebody can make a change here.”
Key Takeaways
- Brown University shooting on Dec. 13 left 2 dead, 9 wounded.
- Eva Erickson, a 25‑year‑old PhD candidate, escaped by leaving her office minutes before the attack.
- She calls for action to prevent similar incidents in schools nationwide.
The survivor’s testimony underscores the fragility of campus safety and the urgent need for collective action to protect students and staff.
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