PROVIDENCE, R.I. — When a gunman began firing inside an academic building on the Brown University campus during finals week, students did not wait for official alerts, turning instead to Sidechat, an anonymous, campus-specific message board, for rapid updates. In an Associated Press analysis of nearly 8,000 Sidechat posts from the 36 hours after the shooting, the posts appear to show how quickly students tried to fill an information gap as the attack unfolded.
The analysis found that students were documenting the chaos about 15 minutes before the university’s first alert of an active shooter. Their messages came in bits and bursts as they moved through the crisis, including while sheltering in place—such as posting from hiding spots under library tables, and while crouching in classrooms and hallways. Some posts came from wounded students, including one described as a selfie posted from a hospital bed with the caption “#finalsweek.”
Before the first official alert, posts also contained urgent questions and fast-moving, sometimes unreliable claims. One student asked, “so r we on lockdown or what,” while others questioned where the shooter was and whether it was safe to move. Earlier posts also referenced the initial chaos as crowds began pouring out of Brown’s Barus and Holley building, including one that asked: “Why are people running away from B&H?” Around that time, other users urged immediate action, writing “EVERYONE TAKE COVER” and, in another message, “STAY AWAY FROM THAYER STREET NEAR MACMILLAN 2 PEOPLE JUST GOT SHOT IM BEING DEAD SERIOUS.”
By the time Brown’s alert was sent at 4:21 p.m., the AP analysis says the shooter was no longer on campus—though Brown officials had not yet known that at the time of the alert. The AP analysis also includes a statement from Brown spokesperson Brian E. Clark, who said Brown’s alert reached 20,000 people minutes after university public safety officials were notified shots had been fired. Clark said Brown deliberately did not use sirens to avoid sending people rushing to seek shelter into harm’s way, and he said the university commissioned two external reviews of the response with the aim of enhancing public safety and security.
Beyond the immediate danger, Sidechat became a running record of what students endured as they stayed hidden for hours. The AP analysis describes students sheltering in dark dorm rooms and study areas, closing blinds and barricading doors with furniture, and reacting to footsteps, distant sirens, and helicopters overhead. Some students described being unable to reach loved ones, including instances where they had left phones behind when they fled, while others posted messages about trying to let parents know they had escaped.
As the night dragged on, students posted about anxiety and basic needs. The AP analysis includes accounts of fear about what information might be released, worries about recognizing someone among the dead, and descriptions of coping in confined spaces. It also includes posts reflecting the persistence of uncertainty, with one person posting: “I’m locked inside! Haven’t eaten anything today! I’m so scared i don’t even know if I get out of this alive or dead.” Other messages shifted to support and community, including acts of kindness documented on the board, such as a student going door to door with macaroni and cheese cups in a dorm.
The AP analysis also describes how quickly misinformation spread and how students tried to manage it. It says that within about 30 minutes of the shooting, posts incorrectly claimed the shooter had been caught, and that reports of additional gunshots continued into the night and the next day before being proven false. Students repeatedly asked for verification and sources, challenging one another before reposting. One Sidechat user wrote, “If you’re talking about the active situation please add a source!!!” Another said, “Frankly I’d rather hear misinformation than people not report stuff they’ve heard.” Students also shared a Google Doc that grew to 28 pages for updated, verified information, with some posts warning against relying on artificial intelligence summaries of the developing situation.
Even as officials and law enforcement cleared buildings floor by floor, students continued to question what was happening and to look for reassurance. One Sidechat post asked what police were doing “RIGHT NOW,” and replies included “They are trying their best,” with another adding, “They are putting their lives in danger at this moment for us to be safe.”
By Sunday morning, the AP analysis says students awoke to snow, the first snowfall of the academic year. Students described the sight as unsettling, with one writing, “It truly hurt seeing the flakes fall this morning, beautiful and tragic.” Another post said, “Will never see the first snow of the season and not think about those two.” When the lockdown lifted, many students said Brown did not feel the same, even as Sidechat continued to fill with grief and reflection, including the sentiment that “Snow will always be bloody for me.”