URGENT UPDATE: The suspect in the deadly mass shooting at Brown University has been found dead. Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old former student from Portugal, was discovered with a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Thursday evening in a storage facility in New Hampshire, according to Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez.
Authorities believe Valente is responsible for the tragic events that unfolded last Saturday, when he fatally shot two students and injured nine others during a lecture on campus. Just two days later, Valente allegedly killed Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a Portuguese professor at MIT, at his home.
Valente was enrolled at Brown as a graduate student studying physics from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001, confirmed Brown University President Christina Paxson. She reiterated that he has no current affiliation with the university. Notably, Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, as stated by U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley.
The brutal nature of the shootings and the connection between Valente and Loureiro have sent shockwaves throughout the academic community and beyond. The situation has raised serious questions about campus safety and the warning signs that may have been overlooked.
This is a developing story, and further updates are expected as police continue their investigation. The impact of these events is profound, affecting not only the victims and their families but also the wider community at Brown and beyond.
Stay tuned for more information as this urgent situation unfolds.
