Brown grad who’s survived two campus shootings recounts terror after police release detained suspect

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Brown University postgraduate pupil who has present lived done 2 field shootings says she is successful disbelief aft the fishy initially detained successful Sunday night’s shooting was released little than a time later.

Sachi Gandhi, a second-year biotech master’s student, told Fox News Digital she was astatine her off-campus location successful Fox Point erstwhile the gunfire broke out.

The infinitesimal triggered memories of the 2023 shooting astatine the University of North Carolina, wherever she spent 8 hours locked successful a laboratory portion a prof was killed successful a adjacent building.

"I was successful laboratory — I was locked successful laboratory for similar 8 hours," Gandhi said. "It was precise akin to this successful the consciousness that not a batch of students knew what was going on. Everyone was feeding each different misinformation due to the fact that everyone’s scared. Everyone is conscionable truthful frightened erstwhile they perceive stuff."

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A lone bicycle abandoned wrong the transgression country portion astatine the Barus and Holley Building astatine Brown University. A gunman killed 2 students and injured nine  (Greg Norman-Diamond/Fox News Digital)

Gandhi stressed that the 2 shootings were precise different, noting the Brown incidental progressive aggregate victims — a "mass casualty," successful her words. But the affectional experience, she said, was inactive "equally arsenic scary."

Speaking astir the Brown shooting, Gandhi said students initially breathed a suspiration of alleviation erstwhile constabulary announced they had taken a fishy into custody. But erstwhile authorities aboriginal released that aforesaid individual, panic dispersed crossed campus.

"It was really, truly scary," she told Fox News Digital. "Most of my friends person already left. My parents called saying they were driving up from Georgia to get me."

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Emergency unit stitchery connected Waterman Street astatine Brown University successful Providence, R.I., connected Saturday, during the probe of a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

She said the reversal near students feeling exposed and unprotected.

"It’s truly messed up," Gandhi said. "And wherever is our wealth going if we can’t drawback this guy?"

She clarified she was referring to payer dollars, not her Brown tuition.

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Police portion disconnected edifice rooms wherever the idiosyncratic of involvement was arrested successful a shooting, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, successful Coventry, R.I. (Kimberlee Kruesi/AP Photo)

Gandhi praised Brown University, calling it an "amazing institution" with extended camera coverage. Her vexation lies with the process that allowed the detained fishy to locomotion escaped truthful quickly.

"I’m much upset astir uncovering idiosyncratic and past releasing them a time later," she said. "It conscionable messes with a batch of students, particularly the ones who are inactive here."

The shooting astatine Brown resulted successful aggregate victims and sent the field assemblage into lockdown arsenic constabulary launched a manhunt for the gunman. Authorities person not announced immoderate caller arrests.

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People clasp candles during a vigil, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, successful Providence, R.I., for the victims of Saturday's shooting connected the field of Brown University. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)

Gandhi said that portion the shootings were antithetic successful standard and circumstance, some near students facing the aforesaid fog of fear, confusion, and misinformation.

"No 1 knew what was real," she said. "That’s precisely what happened astatine UNC, too."

Despite the fear, she said she has seen Brown students enactment each different successful the aftermath, conscionable arsenic UNC students did pursuing their field shooting.

"It’s bully to spot the assemblage set together," she said.

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But for galore students, including Gandhi’s friends, the fearfulness hasn’t subsided.

"They’ve already packed up and left," she said. "People don’t consciousness harmless close now."

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send communicative tips to [email protected].