Brown University students walk past a campus shop in Providence, RI, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/ Mark Stockwell)
A man suspected of killing two people and injuring several others in a shooting at Brown University has been found dead in a storage facility in New Hampshire, officials said, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Police identified the suspect as Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown University student and a Portuguese national. He was found dead on Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Providence police chief Oscar Perez told a news conference.
“He took his own life tonight,” Perez said, as quoted by AP. He added that investigators believe the suspect acted alone.
What happened at Brown University?
Two people were killed and nine others were wounded in a mass shooting at Brown University last Saturday. The attack took place inside an academic building on campus.
The investigation later expanded after authorities began examining a possible link between the Brown shooting and the killing of an MIT professor near Boston two days later.
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Link to MIT professor’s killing
Investigators believe Valente may also be responsible for the fatal shooting of Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, who was found dead in his home in Brookline on Monday, a law enforcement official told AP.
Authorities have not formally confirmed the connection. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
The FBI had earlier said it was not aware of any link between the two cases.
Who was Claudio Neves Valente?
Valente was enrolled at Brown University from the autumn of 2000 to the spring of 2001, university president Christina Paxson said, according to AP. He had been admitted to the graduate school to study physics.
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“He has no current affiliation with the university,” Paxson said.
Officials said Valente was a Portuguese citizen and his last known address was in Miami.
How police identified the suspect
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said a person who had been near the suspect came forward after a police briefing on Wednesday.
“When you crack it, you crack it. That person led us to the car, led us to the name,” Neronha said, as quoted by AP.
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Investigators said Valente had placed a Maine licence plate over a Florida plate to avoid identification.
Authorities said they are still trying to understand why the attack happened.
“We don’t know why now, why Brown, why these students and why this classroom,” Neronha said.
Investigators also said the shooter may have entered and exited through a door facing a residential street, which could explain why campus cameras did not capture clear images.
Loureiro joined MIT in 2016 and led its Plasma Science and Fusion Center, one of the university’s largest research labs. He was a professor of physics and nuclear science and engineering.
“He shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague and leader,” Dennis Whyte, a former head of the centre, told an MIT publication, according to AP.
Loureiro had said he hoped his work on fusion energy would help shape the future. “Fusion energy will change the course of human history,” he said.
Authorities said investigations into both cases are continuing.
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Brown University students walk past a campus shop in Providence, RI, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/ Mark Stockwell)
