Brown University student from Maryland describes lockdown during deadly mass shooting
A Brown University student from Maryland said he spent seven hours in lockdown in a library on the school's campus following the deadly mass shooting on Dec. 13.
Teo Miranda-Moreno is a freshman at Brown University. He said situations like the shooting are happening far too often in schools nationwide. He spoke exclusively with WJZ's Tara Lynch on Thursday.
Student recalls campus lockdown
Miranda-Moreno said stricter gun laws need to be passed to prevent these types of tragedies.
"I could have never expected that this would happen at Brown. I don't think anyone does expect that it's going to happen at their school until it does," Miranda-Moreno said. "I was, I think, in a huge state of panic trying to figure out where I should move, how I should locate myself, but also I can ensure that my friends were safe."
Miranda-Moreno said he sheltered in place for seven hours after a gunman opened fire at Brown University on Saturday, Dec. 13. The Ellicott City native said he was studying for finals when he had to shelter in place inside one of the libraries on campus.
On Thursday night, investigators identified the gunman as former Brown University student Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48. He was found dead in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, from a suspected suicide, officials said.
Remembering a shooting victim
Two students died, and nine others were injured when shots rang out inside the engineering building on the Brown University campus.
Miranda-Moreno said he knew 18-year-old Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, who was one of the victims killed in the shooting.
"I think a lot of time that he was meant to have was robbed. Everyone loved him. He's a great person. He didn't… he was very genuine. Told everyone what he was thinking at any time, very loyal to his friends." Miranda-Moreno said.
Miranda-Moreno said he thought about studying in the science library, adjacent to the building where the shooting happened, but decided to go elsewhere on campus. He said students were using an app to alert each other to stay away from specific areas.
After lockdown
After being cleared from the lockdown, Miranda-Moreno stayed off campus with a friend's family and came back to Maryland the following day.
He said alumni opened their homes to students who needed somewhere to stay, while others offered to pay for students' travel home. Some local businesses were offering free food to students who needed it.
Brown University has increased security on campus, and school leaders said they will do an entire campus review of its practices. Students will return to class later in January.
"It might be a little bit scary to return, but I think just like the overwhelming amounts of love everyone is going to send out and receive will hopefully make up for it," Miranda-Moreno added.
He is calling on lawmakers to craft stricter gun laws to prevent something like this from happening again.
"I think lots of conversations need to be held so that we can actually take a step into making classrooms a safer space," Miranda-Moreno continued.
According to a CNN report, there have been 75 school shootings in the U.S. so far in 2025, with 43 occurring on college campuses.
