SAN FRANCISCO -- At least two people were killed and eight others wounded Saturday afternoon at Brown University in Providence, the US state of Rhode Island, campus officials said.

In an emergency alert issued in the evening, Brown University said "two community members" were the fatal victims, while eight others were hospitalized "in critical but stable condition."

Police said the incident occurred near an academic and research area on campus, where students were in the midst of their second day of final exams. Law enforcement officers were dispatched to the scene, and the investigation is ongoing.

Authorities said the suspected shooter is a male dressed in black and that an extensive search is underway.

As the shooter is still at large, the university said that the campus remained in lockdown, urging all members of the community to remain vigilant and shelter in place.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said the deadly shooting took place at the Barus and Holley building, which houses classrooms and laboratory space for the university's engineering and physics departments.

US President Donald Trump said Saturday afternoon that he had been briefed on the shooting and that the FBI is on the scene.

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee said state police and the state emergency management agency are coordinating with local law enforcement in response to the incident.

Brown University is a nonprofit research institution with some 7,300 undergraduate students and over 3,000 graduate students, according to its website.