New Video Footage Released from Day of Fatal Brown University Shooting
City officials in Providence have released new video footage from the day of the Brown University shooting, an incident that resulted in the deaths of two students and left nine others injured. The footage was made public on Monday, with authorities confirming they had carefully redacted the most graphic and violent images to prevent further harm to victims and preserve community trust.
Mayor Emphasises Transparency and Sensitivity
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley issued a statement underscoring the city's commitment to transparency under the state's Access to Public Records Act, while acknowledging the potential trauma the release could cause. "It is incredibly important to me that the city of Providence remains fully transparent, accountable and compliant with the state's Access to Public Records Act," Mayor Smiley said. "We also know that the footage and audio we are required to release will likely be harmful and traumatising for the victims, families and neighbours who are still trying to heal and recover from this incident."
Timing and Background of the Release
The release follows numerous requests from news outlets across the United States and internationally for body camera footage, audio clips, and other public records related to the shooting, which occurred in mid-December. City officials delayed the release at the request of the victims' families until after a memorial service was held on Brown's campus the previous week.
Details of the Shooting Incident
On December 13, gunman Claudio Neves Valente, aged 48, entered a study session in a Brown academic building and opened fire on students. The attack claimed the lives of 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, while nine others sustained injuries. Neves Valente, who had been a graduate student at Brown studying physics during the 2000-01 academic year, later fatally shot Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at his Boston-area home two days after the university shooting.
Investigation and Aftermath
Neves Valente, who had attended school with Loureiro in Portugal during the 1990s, was found dead days later in a New Hampshire storage facility. The Justice Department has since revealed that Neves Valente planned the attack for years and left behind videos in which he confessed to the killings without providing a motive. The FBI recovered an electronic device containing a series of these videos during a search of the storage facility where his body was discovered.
