A survivor of the mass shooting that killed two students and wounded nine others on the Brown University campus in Rhode Island described the moment he was shot in the back during the attack.

Jacob Spears, a freshman at Brown studying applied math and computer science, told CBS News that after eating that fateful Saturday, he attended a study session in the Barus & Holley engineering building. He said the session ended and the students were standing up to leave when the shooting started. 

Spears said at first, when the shooting began, he "was confused," but then he realized what was happening and started to run. 

"He got me in the back," Spears said, adding that adrenaline spurred him and pushed him to continue running out of the building. "I was able to get up and run, even with the shot."

He said two people — a father and a son — helped him and put pressure on his wound. Spears said he then called 911 and waited for the ambulance to arrive. He also called his family while he waited. 

"I was just focused on breathing," he said of when help arrived, and he let everyone do their job as he was transported to the hospital. He said he went into surgery right away.

Spears, who is from Evans, Georgia, and the only person from his high school class to attend an Ivy League university, said his grandfather was at the hospital with him. 

He said he is progressing slowly and every day is getting better. He was slated to go back home on Wednesday but now he most likely will spend the holidays in the hospital, just grateful "to be alive," he said.

The two students killed in the shooting have been identified as Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. Umurzokov was known for his sharp intellect, kind heart and quiet willingness to help anyone in need, the American Uzbekistan Association said in a post on social media. Cook, the vice president of Brown's College Republicans, was "incredibly grounded and generous," her local church said. 

Authorities have released photos and videos of a possible person of interest as the manhunt for the gunman continues. The FBI has also offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the gunman.