PROVIDENCE, R.I. — As Brown University remained on lockdown for hours following a mass shooting that left two people dead Saturday, one student relived a nightmare she thought she had left behind.
Junior Mia Tretta, speaking with Boston 25 News via FaceTime from her dorm room, described the fear and uncertainty gripping campus — feelings she knows all too well. Six years ago, Tretta was wounded in the Saugus High School shooting in Santa Clarita, California.
“It’s just a really uncertain and terrifying time for everyone here, especially as someone who’s been through this before,” Tretta said.
A painful memory resurfaces
Tretta recalled the 2019 tragedy that changed her life:
“A boy I didn’t know came with his father’s .45-caliber ghost gun and shot me in the stomach as well as four others, killing two of them — one of them being my best friend.”
She chose Brown University partly because it felt safe. That sense of security shattered when shots rang out in the engineering building during a final exam review.
“I never thought anything like this would happen in the first place, let alone again,” she said.
Locked down and waiting
Tretta remained in lockdown as police, FBI, and SWAT teams swept the campus.
“Even right now, it’s still so uncertain. I’m still in lockdown in my dorm room. I haven’t left. Many of my friends are in academic buildings across campus, uncertain of when they will be able to leave.”
Officials announced Sunday that the lockdown had been lifted after a person of interest was taken into custody.
Turning pain into advocacy
Since surviving Saugus, Tretta has fought to regulate ghost guns. Now, her activism will honor two more lives lost.
“If we don’t start taking action against gun violence, it’s going to touch every single community in America. Every single table will have a chair that’s empty, every single family will have to plan a funeral, and every single person will have to fear for their life if they aren’t already.”
Families rushed to the university’s reunification center on Hope Street last night, desperate to connect with loved ones.
University officials say support services remain available as the community begins the long process of healing.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW