Authorities say the man suspected in last weekend’s shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and in the fatal shooting of an MIT professor in Massachusetts was found dead inside a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire. Police identified the suspect as Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national and former Brown student, and said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators have treated the Brown and MIT cases as linked while separate agencies handle the parallel investigations, and officials have said they have not publicly established a motive. For the campus communities, the development brings an end to the manhunt and may allow more focus on healing, support services, and the remaining investigative questions.
Highlights:
- Victims and injuries: Fox News reported that the Brown attack occurred during a finals-week review session and left two students dead and nine others injured.
- Suspect’s Brown ties: Brown President Christina Paxson said Neves-Valente studied physics at Brown from fall 2000 to spring 2001, later took a leave of absence, and ultimately withdrew in 2003.
- MIT victim identified: Multiple outlets identified the slain MIT professor as nuclear physicist Nuno Loureiro, who was found with fatal gunshot wounds at his home in Massachusetts.
- Search site details: Law enforcement in tactical gear converged for hours on a storage facility on Hampshire Road in Salem, New Hampshire, before officials announced the suspect was found dead inside a unit linked to him.
- Case coordination: Massachusetts authorities led the MIT-related investigation while Rhode Island authorities focused on Brown, with federal officials also involved as information was shared across jurisdictions.
Perspectives:
- Providence police: Officials said investigators identified Claudio Neves Valente as the suspect and that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a New Hampshire storage unit, linking him to both the Brown shooting and the MIT professor’s killing. (The New York Times)
- Brown University leadership: Brown’s president described the suspect as a former student who once studied physics at the university, offering institutional context as the campus community mourned and sought answers. (Fox News)
- Federal prosecutors: The U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts confirmed authorities suspected Neves-Valente in Loureiro’s killing, reflecting federal involvement alongside state and local agencies. (Fox News)
- Investigators speaking to media: Officials and reporting emphasized that, despite linking the incidents to one suspect, authorities had not publicly identified a motive for the attacks as of the latest updates. (Le Monde)
Sources:
- Man suspected in Brown University shooting and MIT professor’s killing is found dead, officials say - seattletimes.com
- Brown U. and MIT professor shootings are linked, suspect found dead, officials say - washingtonpost.com
- What We Know About the Shootings at Brown and M.I.T. - nytimes.com
- Suspect in Brown University shooting and MIT professor’s killing found dead - scmp.com
- Brown, MIT shooting suspect ID’d as Claudio Neves Valente — after he’s found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound - nypost.com
- Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente identified as Brown University and MIT shooting suspect, found dead - foxnews.com
- BREAKING: Suspect in Brown University Killing Found Dead, Also Suspected of MIT Murder - dailysignal.com
- Brown University Shooting Suspect Found Dead, Identity Revealed - pjmedia.com
- Brown University shooting suspect found dead - thehill.com
- Brown University shooting suspect, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, found dead - lemonde.fr
- A 48-year-old suspect of the mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, is found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside of a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire. Authorities are investigating whether the murder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Loureiro is connected. - nbcnews.com