Authorities in the United States have confirmed that the suspect in a deadly shooting at Brown University and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor has been found dead. The discovery brings an end to a five-day, multi-state manhunt that gripped academic communities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
The End of a Manhunt
Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, was found deceased in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, on Thursday evening. Colonel Oscar Perez, the chief of the Providence Police Department in Rhode Island, stated that the suspect had taken his own life. The discovery came after police tracked Valente to the storage unit, where he was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha confirmed that a satchel, two firearms, and other evidence matching the Brown University crime scene were recovered at the location. An arrest warrant had been issued for Valente earlier on Thursday, charging him with two counts of murder and 23 felony counts of assault and firearms offences related to the campus attack.
A Trail of Violence Across Two Campuses
The violent spree began on Saturday when a gunman opened fire in a classroom at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The attacker sprayed the room with more than 44 rounds during a study session. The shooting resulted in the deaths of two students and left nine others injured.
Two days later, on Monday night, 47-year-old MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro was fatally shot multiple times at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts. Investigators confirmed on Thursday that Loureiro, a fellow Portuguese national and a prominent physicist, was also a victim of Valente. Authorities believe the two men attended the same university in Lisbon years earlier.
Investigation and the Victims
The breakthrough in the manhunt came from a combination of video footage and a crucial tip from the public. Police obtained a description of a vehicle from video, which was corroborated by a tipster. This led them to a car rental location in Massachusetts, where they secured a rental agreement in Valente's name. Officials revealed that Valente had rented a car in Boston and later changed its license plates to evade capture. The vehicle was eventually found in New Hampshire.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley noted that Valente had used techniques to hide his tracks, including a phone that obscured his location and credit cards not in his name, describing him as "sophisticated."
The Brown University community is mourning the loss of the two students killed: Ella Cook, a 19-year-old from Alabama and vice president of the Brown University College Republicans, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old from Uzbekistan who was studying to become a neurosurgeon. A GoFundMe for Umurzokov described him as incredibly kind and his family's biggest role model.
Brown President Christina Paxson acknowledged the profound impact of the violence, stating that while nothing could bring full closure, the community now had an opportunity to begin a path of repair and healing. Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee pledged the state's continued support for Providence, Brown University, and all those affected as they recover from the tragedy.
