A former reality television star and doctoral student has revealed how a last-minute, unplanned decision saved her from being caught in a deadly shooting at the prestigious Brown University.
A Fateful Decision Minutes Before Tragedy
Eva Erickson, a 25-year-old doctoral candidate and alumna of the TV show Survivor, was working in her office in the Barus & Holley engineering building on Saturday, 14 December 2025. In a remarkable twist of fate, she left the building just five minutes before a gunman, dressed entirely in black, entered and opened fire.
Erickson attributed her escape to a rare, spontaneous choice to visit the gym that afternoon. She stated she departed her lab approximately fifteen minutes before the active shooter alert was issued and was safely away from the building within five minutes of the attacker's arrival.
Aftermath of the Campus Attack
The shooting, which occurred on Saturday afternoon, resulted in at least two fatalities and nine people injured. As of Monday, 15 December, the perpetrator remains at large, though a person of interest has been questioned and released.
Describing the campus the following day, Erickson said it felt "eerie," with many students leaving to find safety with their families. She expressed profound concern, stating such violent events "can’t keep happening to our students."
Community in Mourning
The Ivy League campus in Providence, Rhode Island, was the scene of a makeshift memorial where members of the community gathered to mourn. The incident has sent shockwaves through the academic community and reignited national conversations about campus safety and gun violence in the United States.
