Brown mass shooting started in Jewish Studies class

Some “incredibly relevant” facts have emerged following the deadly shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island.

While a manhunt is still underway for the suspect in the mass shooting that left two students dead and nine others injured, questions being asked on social media highlighted interesting details about the professor and the classroom where the shooting took place.

“Oh. The shooting occurred in the classroom of Professor Rachel Friedberg…who is Jewish, part of the Program in Judaic Studies, and whose research focuses on the intersection of economics and Jewish Studies?” wrote Amy Swearer, a Senior Legal Fellow at The Heritage Foundation.

“That seems like it might be incredibly relevant,” she added.

Oh. The shooting occurred in the classroom of Professor Rachel Friedberg…who is Jewish, part of the Program in Judaic Studies, and whose research focuses on the intersection of economics and Jewish Studies?

That seems like it might be incredibly relevant. https://t.co/BFWCBkLsOe pic.twitter.com/BigBSx9L6i

— Amy Swearer (@AmySwearer) December 14, 2025

“Rachel Friedberg, a Brown economics professor, said the mass shooting happened in a review session for the final exam of her Principles of Economics course. She said she learned what happened from a teaching assistant who led the session. Friedberg herself was not present,” Ocean State Media reported.

“The room has stadium seating with doors that enter at the top,” Friedberg said. “He said that the shooter came in the doors, yelled something — he couldn’t remember what he yelled — and started shooting.”

“Students started to scramble to try to get away from the shooter, trying to get lower down in the stadium seating, and people got shot,” Friedberg said. “I don’t know if they’re the only ones who got shot or not.”

While there have, as yet, not been any reports of a motive or even the identity of the gunman, speculation on social media grew quickly in light of the details about the deadly incident. The weekend also saw a tragic terror attack during a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 dead.

Look, is it entirely possible that these things are unconnected and that when officials vaguely said the gunman “yelled things” during the shooting, they meant he yelled “I really hate this econ class because it’s super hard?”

Sure. Possible.

But increasingly unlikely.

— Amy Swearer (@AmySwearer) December 14, 2025

According to the police chief and the political leaders of Rhode Island, they have no idea what the motive might be and there’s nothing to see here

— Isaac Seliger (@SeligerGrants) December 14, 2025

Well that might explain the news blackout just a bit

— Larry Sellers (@larry_sell38385) December 14, 2025

I think it now explains why the President of the University claimed last night “she didn’t know what the students were doing in that class”!

— CYNDI (@CYNDI_TX_) December 14, 2025

Swearer posted again in response to comments, writing that “there are certain things I’d hedge bets on right now.”

She pointed out that “nihilistic/suicidal shooters typically don’t try to make an escape. They typically have a plan to kill themselves or commit suicide by cop. ”

Since this thread is picking up attention, I’ll repeat: it’s still possible that he screamed “taxation is theft,” or “I hate this class, it’s too hard,” or even just “see all of you in hell.” It’s possible he had a mental break and screamed “KILL THE LIZARD PEOPLE.”

But as…

— Amy Swearer (@AmySwearer) December 14, 2025

Yeah, if this man had yelled, ‘THIS IS MAGA COUNTRY, WHOOO DAWGIE,’ we’d already know it. That we do not know for sure what he yelled says a lot.

— megaman (@megaman47891400) December 14, 2025

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Frieda Powers

Senior Staff Writer
Frieda@bizpacreview.com

Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.