By Harshit
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND / SALEM, NEW HAMPSHIRE, Dec. 19 — 8 AM EDT
Suspect Dies by Suicide After Dayslong Search
The suspect in the Brown University mass shooting that killed two students and wounded nine others has been found dead after taking his own life, authorities confirmed late Thursday, bringing an end to a dayslong multi-state manhunt.
Police identified the suspect as Cláudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and former Brown University graduate student. His body was discovered inside a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, where investigators believe he had been hiding.
Officials said Neves Valente died by suicide. No law enforcement officers fired shots during the discovery.
Attack at Ivy League Campus
The shooting occurred Saturday afternoon inside the Barus and Holley building at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, during a voluntary final exam review session. Two students — Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov — were killed. Nine other students were injured, several critically.
Classes and exams were immediately canceled as campus police ordered a lockdown and hundreds of local, state and federal officers converged on the scene.
Authorities later confirmed there was no evidence the victims were specifically targeted, describing the attack as indiscriminate.
Linked to Second Killing in Massachusetts
In a major development, prosecutors revealed that Neves Valente was also responsible for the fatal shooting of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, who was killed at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, two days after the Brown University attack.
Investigators believe the professor was specifically targeted. Neves Valente and Loureiro had attended the same academic physics program in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, though authorities have not confirmed any ongoing personal relationship between the two.
“This was a targeted killing,” a law enforcement official told CNN. “The Brown University victims were not.”
How Investigators Closed In
According to court affidavits, the investigation accelerated after a campus custodian’s observations and an anonymous Reddit post helped narrow the suspect pool.
Prosecutors said Neves Valente was “sophisticated in hiding his tracks,” using an untraceable phone, avoiding credit cards in his own name, switching license plates, and relying on European SIM cards to evade detection.
Ballistic evidence recovered from the Brown campus — including 44 spent 9-millimeter shell casings, projectile fragments, and high-capacity magazines — ultimately tied Neves Valente to the attack.
Timeline of the Suspect’s Movements
Authorities reconstructed Neves Valente’s movements across multiple states:
- 2000–2001: Enrolled at Brown University as a physics graduate student for three semesters
- 2017: Entered the US via the diversity visa lottery program and received a green card
- Late November 2025: Rented a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire
- Dec. 1–12: Rental car repeatedly seen near Brown University
- Dec. 13: Opened fire on Brown campus
- Dec. 15: Shot and killed MIT professor Nuno Loureiro
- Dec. 18: Found dead by suicide in Salem storage facility
Authorities said Neves Valente had no known criminal record in the United States prior to the attacks.
Immigration Fallout and Federal Response
In a controversial move, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the government will pause the diversity visa lottery program, stating that Neves Valente entered the country through the scheme in 2017.
“This individual should never have been allowed in our country,” Noem said in a statement, adding that the decision was made at the direction of President Donald Trump.
The diversity visa program allows up to 55,000 immigrants annually from countries with low US immigration rates. Civil liberties groups have criticized the suspension as politically motivated.
Campus and Community Reaction
Brown University President Christina Paxson confirmed Neves Valente was not affiliated with the university at the time of the shooting and had withdrawn years earlier.
“Nothing can fully bring closure to the lives that have been shattered,” Paxson said. “But our community now has the opportunity to begin healing.”
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee praised law enforcement for their coordination and professionalism, calling the investigation “extraordinary in scope and execution.”
Students held vigils across campus, while counseling services remain available for those affected by the violence.
Motive Remains Unclear
Despite extensive evidence, authorities say the motive behind the attacks remains unknown. Investigators are continuing to review digital data, academic records, and travel history, but no manifesto or direct explanation has been found.
For many survivors, the suspect’s death brings only partial relief.
“The threat is gone,” said Brown student Zoe Weissman, a survivor of both the Brown and Parkland shootings. “But gun violence is still here.”