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Brown University instructor describes horror inside classroom after gunman burst in and started shooting

Joseph Oduro, a 21-year-old teaching assistant, told the New York Times that the gunman shouted “something” before opening fire, but he could not tell what.

Oduro was wrapping up a review session around 4 pm for Principles of Economics when he heard the shooter outside in the hall.

“All of a sudden, we heard gunshots and people screaming,” he said.

Within moments, a masked man with a rifle appeared in the doorway and opened fire.

Oduro said he and police are still trying to figure out what the attacker said during the shooting.

“That’s what the students and I — and the detectives — have been trying to piece together,” he said.

Oduro quickly hid behind a desk with around 20 others students. One of them was wounded in the leg.

The layout of the lecture hall meant the students in the middle section could not quickly escape the bullets.

“The students in the middle were impacted the most,” he said. “Many of them were lying there and they were not moving. I have no idea how many.”

Oduro is a senior at Brown studying applied mathematics, economics, and computer science. He told the Times that Principles of Economics is a prerequisite for many upper-year courses at Brown and estimates 80 percent of the students enrolled are freshmen.

The review session was one of five Oduro offered to students before Tuesday’s final exam. Right before the shooting began, Oduro remembers saying goodbye to his students.

“I was telling my students that I am so grateful for them,” he said.

A suspect is now in custody after an 11-hour manhunt that involved over 400 law enforcement officials, according to Fox News. Officials told NBC that the rifle used in the shooting had specific characteristics, tying the suspect to the shooting.

“I was telling my students that I am so grateful for them,” he said.

Security footage of the suspect was released on Saturday, showing a tall figure dress in all black, calmly exiting an academic building onto Hope Street.

Authorities weren’t immediately sure how the gunman entered the building. A Brown student told Fox News that doors to most campus buildings are open to the public.

It’s still unclear if the shooter was connected to the university, none of the victims have been publicly identified.

Students across the university sheltered in place overnight, waiting to be shepherded by law enforcement outside of the police perimeter. Brown President Christina Paxson estimated “a couple thousand” students were transported overnight to outside the police perimeter, in a letter to the community on Sunday.

The shelter-in-place order was lifted Sunday morning and all final exams have been cancelled.

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