A Timeline of Deadly Shootings on U.S. College Campuses

 

A shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday left two people dead and at least eight others critically injured, according to authorities. The attack happened inside a campus building during final exams, prompting an immediate shelter-in-place order across the university area. Police said the suspect, dressed in black, fled the scene on foot and remained at large for several hours.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said the city was deploying all available resources to locate the suspect, calling the violence a tragedy the community never expected to face. Brown University is a private Ivy League institution with about 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students.

The incident adds to a long and troubling history of deadly shootings on U.S. college campuses over the past several decades.

In December 2025, a shooting at Kentucky State University left one student dead and another critically injured inside a residence hall. Authorities said the suspect, a parent of a student, faces murder and assault charges.

In September 2025, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a political event on the campus of Utah Valley University. A 22-year-old suspect has been charged with aggravated murder, and prosecutors say they intend to seek the death penalty.

Earlier in April 2025, two people were killed and six others wounded in a shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee. A 21-year-old man has been charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder.

In December 2023, a former business professor opened fire at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, killing three faculty members before being killed in a shootout with police.

In February 2023, a gunman killed three students and wounded five others at Michigan State University before killing himself.

In November 2022, three University of Virginia football players were killed by a former teammate in a shooting that led to a lengthy campus lockdown.

Some of the deadliest attacks in modern campus history include the 2015 Umpqua Community College shooting in Oregon, which left nine people dead, and the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, where 32 people were killed — the deadliest college shooting in U.S. history.

Earlier tragedies include the 1966 University of Texas tower shooting, where a sniper killed 13 people, and the 1991 University of Iowa shooting, in which five people were killed.

Each incident has intensified national debate over gun violence, campus security, and public safety, as colleges across the United States continue to grapple with how to prevent such attacks and respond when they occur.