Brown University and MIT Shooting Suspect Dies by Suicide After Multi-State Search
The suspect wanted in connection with the Brown University mass shooting and the killing of an MIT professor was found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities confirmed the 48-year-old former Brown student, Claudio Neves Valente, was identified through surveillance footage, vehicle tracking and public tips after a multi-day manhunt. Investigators continue to piece together motives and links between the attacks.
Ama Boah
Man Found Dead in New Hampshire as Brown University Shooting Manhunt Ends
A man suspected of carrying out a deadly mass shooting at Brown University and linked to a separate killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor was found dead Thursday evening, authorities confirmed, bringing a multi-day manhunt to a dramatic end.
Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national and former physics graduate student at Brown, was discovered dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a rented storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, Rhode Island law enforcement officials said.
Connection to Two Separate Attacks
Investigators believe Valente was responsible for the December 13 shooting on Brown University’s campus in Providence, Rhode Island, which left two students dead and nine others wounded in an engineering building during final exam week.
Two days later, police linked him to the fatal shooting of MIT physics professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.
How He Was Tracked
Authorities released images and video of a person of interest and circulated details of the suspect’s vehicle, a rental car seen in the Providence area and later outside Loureiro’s home. A public tip, including from a Reddit user who recognized the vehicle, helped investigators narrow down his movements and ultimately locate him in New Hampshire.
Brown University President Christina Paxson said Valente had briefly attended Brown as a graduate student in physics in 2000–2001 but had no current affiliation with the university at the time of the shootings.
Ongoing Investigation
Authorities did not immediately release a motive. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said there were still “a lot of unknowns” about why the attacks occurred and why Brown University was targeted. Federal and local law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the connections between the two shootings and Valente’s actions in the days leading up to his death.
Brown University canceled final exams and sent students home following the shooting. Officials have expressed relief that the suspect is no longer at large but emphasized support for victims and families as the community processes the tragedy.
Sources:
People/Ap News/ Reuters/iTVX
