Joseph Oduro is a Ghanaian teaching assistant at Brown University
Joseph Oduro, a Ghanaian teaching assistant at Brown University in the United States (US) who narrowly escaped death during the mass shooting at the university on Saturday, December 12, 2025, has opened up about the horrific incident.
Joseph Oduro, who at the time of the incident, which led to the death of two students and several others sustaining injuries, was leading a study group, and narrated how the gunman walked into his lecture hall.
Speaking in an interview with ABC News on Sunday, December 14, 2025, he indicated that the first thing he thought when he heard the commotion was that someone was coming to the university to kill people.
“We heard commotion outside the door of what sounded like students screaming and the sound of gunshots, but in none of our minds, at least my mind — I can’t speak for everyone — I didn’t identify that sound with danger at Brown University, which is an Ivy League institution.
“You assume that you’re going to be safe, and around five seconds or so later, we see a gunman walk in on the left-hand side,” he said.
He went on to narrate the commotion in the classroom where he was teaching when the shooter entered, which the students doing all they can to save their lives.
“I don’t know what he said. I know he mumbled something, screamed something. I don’t know exactly what was said, but he entered the room, and you could just see the panic in all the students’ eyes.
“I was standing in the front, so as soon as he walked in, he immediately saw me, and I immediately saw him, and then I looked to my right, and I saw a bunch of students running down the stairs, running out the door, jumping on the ground — just whatever it takes to stay alive,” he said.
What we know so far about the Brown University shooting
He said that after making eye contact with the gunman, the only thing that came to mind was that Saturday was his last day on earth.
“I immediately, when I saw him, saw a gun. The gun was so big and long that I genuinely thought… this is the end of the road for me,” he said.
Oduro, however, managed to hid behind a desk until police arrived, but some of the other students in the room did not survive.
Watch the interview below:
Joseph Oduro was leading a study group at Brown University Saturday when a man carrying a gun walked into his classroom. He tells ABC News’ Whit Johnson about the moment he looked the gunman in the eyes: “I thought it was the end of the road for me.” pic.twitter.com/zQ43Hdmz1d
— ABC News (@ABC) December 14, 2025
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