Professor Rachel Friedberg confirmed to other media outlets that the attack occurred during a review session for her principles of economics class. A Brown student on TikTok explained that the shots were fired in Room 166, one of the large auditorium-style lecture halls on the first floor of the seven-floor Barus & Holley building at 184 Hope St.

The shooting, which left at least two students dead, shook the Rhode Island community at the university, one of the oldest in the United States.