Brown University student recounts shooting

Let's bring in CBS News's Jared Hill, who's live in Providence, Rhode Island, this morning. So, Jared, help me understand, the police say that there is no threat to the community, and yet, the person who committed these horrific acts are is still at large. And in fact, Vlad, actually, they're saying that they don't know if this person is in this neighborhood, in this city, in this state. They say there's no way of knowing right now, where whoever committed this heinous act acts really is. But again, as you mentioned there, stressing that they have not gotten any sort of credible threats so far to this community. And so they are trying to manage some of the emotions here. Just yesterday, in fact, the mayor of Providence said that he knows that this announcement, that the person of interest has been released, is going to cause fresh anxiety for folks who are in this community. When it comes to trying to figure out exactly where whoever this person is, they say that they are continuing to ask for any tips, especially any pictures or video that there might be from around this area that anyone might have had so that they can try and figure out who this person is and where they might be.

All right. So what are you hearing from members of the community this morning? So obviously, it's quiet here so far. It's a cold, quiet day. School is out now because of this shooting. But there is a feeling of great sadness for what we saw last night. There was a vigil in the area. It was really supposed to be a Christmas tree and Hanukkah lighting that was happening last night, then turned into basically this moment for this community to come together and grieve. Folks are sad here. And there is again that concern about what does this mean going forward with this investigation, and where does this place everyone after this really horrific shooting?

Yeah. All right. Jared, thank you very much. I want to bring in Sofia Holman. She's a Brown University student, who was studying in the Engineering building when she heard the gunshots. Sofia, first of all, thank you for joining us. And before we even start talking about what happened, I want to know, how you are doing? How are you holding up this morning? Yeah, good morning, Vlad. Thank you for checking in. I'm doing all right. I'm currently back in California. So, like a lot of people at Brown, I left Rhode Island, and I'm in California now, so.

So, OK, I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm glad your family knows that you're safe and that you're with them, I'm guessing. Your call to 911 was among one of the very first reported. Can you tell us what you saw and what you heard on Saturday? Yeah. So I was coming from a late lunch with my boyfriend and one of my friends. I walked into the building like I do almost every day, to go study. The first thing that I felt when I walked in was actually a sense of disappointment. Because I walked in the door that one of my teammates usually studies in and she wasn't there. And so, I was walking around. I was looking for a classroom. I was opening doors to classrooms just trying to see if any of them were open. When I first heard the gunshots, I mean, I think like most college students, the first thing that I didn't think of was that they actually were gunshots. The first thing I thought was, oh, this is a physics experiment gone wrong. This is a wood shop. This is anything, but this. But after I heard the third shot, I thought it would be better to be safe than sorry. And I remember having a conversation, actually, with one of my high school teachers when I was in high school about, oh, if there were a shooting at my high school, what would we do? And she said you should run if you're away from the shooting. And so, she was my homeroom teacher, and that stuck with me. And so I ran one block East. I got out of the building. And that same exit that I ran out of was actually the exit that I later found out that the shooter ran out of. And I mean, if I had gone down one other hallway, I could have been the first person that the shooter saw when they walked into the building. Yeah.

Remarkable. And we're so glad that didn't happen in that way. It's interesting because as somebody who's a lot older and did not deal with the regular instances of gun violence in this country that we see, especially on school campuses, did you not-- I know that you said when you first heard the shots, you thought it was an experiment. Did it ever occur to you, just as a young person, just as someone going through the American public education system and/or even the private school system in this country, that you might someday be the victim of gun violence in this country? Like, absolutely, I never thought it was going to happen to me. I think it's something that you see on the news. But I never thought, oh, this is going to happen at my school. And so I'm extremely grateful to the teachers who made us listen during these drills because it could have saved my life today, I mean, on Saturday. It really could have saved my life. Yeah.

And can you tell me, describe the moment that-- your parents must have been frantic when they heard that something was happening at Brown University. They're clearly very, very far away across the country. What was their reaction when you finally got hold of them to tell them that you were OK? Yeah. So, I think when I first called them, I was in shock. And so my dad said afterwards-- he said I was cool as a cucumber. And so I think that-- I mean, they helped get me out of there. Like, they told me what to do, after I had ran out of the building. And they called a friend they had in Rhode Island and a few friends and I got out of Brown and we went there. And so, my parents were very glad to hear I was OK.

Yeah. I'm sure. Well, Sofia, we're glad that you're OK. Thank you for spending some time with us this morning to tell us what happened and what you experienced. And I'm wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday. I'm sure it's going to be one when you realize what some other families will not be able to celebrate this year. Thank you very much for being with us. Yeah. Thank you for having me.

Thanks, Sofia.