‘This Is Just a Nightmare’ Mom of Brown University Student Shares Harrowing Story of Son Barricading Himself in Supply Closet With 12 Students

A mother of a Brown University student described the “nightmare” scenario she was struggling with on Saturday, as her son texted her he was barricading himself inside a supply closet to keep himself safe from an active shooter on campus.

Shamsah Amersi, the mother of student Jaden Anselmo, anxiously shared the updates she was getting from her son during an appearance on LiveNow, Fox’s 24/7 streaming news service. She called into the program as Brown University was on lockdown, after a shooter killed two people and injured eight others in an attack around 4:05 p.m. local time.

“They are in the middle of finals, so they were all on campus studying… the first text I get from my son is ‘mom, there’s a live shooting on campus. I’m going to run and I love you,'”  Amersi said.

She said they had only been texting, and that she had told her son to make sure his phone was not making any noise. Amersi said he had “barricaded” himself inside a supply closet with 12 other students.

“They’ve turned off the lights, they’ve put chairs on their door,” Amersi said. “One of his classmates is having a panic attack, so the friends are trying to keep her quiet so no sounds are being made.”

She added, “This is just a nightmare as a parent.”

The shooter remained on the loose as of 7:00 p.m. ET, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley confirmed to reporters.

Local police said the suspect is a male and was wearing all black, but no other details were shared. Smiley declined to share any details on the victims when asked by a reporter.

Brown University warned students via its text alert system to “lock doors, silence phones, and stay hidden until further notice.”

President Donald Trump, during a brief comment made to reporters on Saturday, said “all we can do right now is pray.” 

The president had posted earlier on Truth Social the suspect was apprehended, but he walked that back minutes later, after Brown University issued a correction, saying it had incorrectly said the suspect was detained.

Smiley acknowledged there had been “misinformation” about the shooter being apprehended. He told reporters an “individual who was preliminarily thought to be involved and was later determined to have no involvement.”

Watch above.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!