Who is the alleged Brown University, MIT shooter? What we know.
- - Who is the alleged Brown University, MIT shooter? What we know.
Eryn Dion, Antonia Noori Farzan and Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY NETWORKDecember 21, 2025 at 1:00 AM
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A sprawling search for the person responsible for a deadly mass shooting at Brown University is over, but key questions remain about the alleged shooter.
Authorities have identified the suspect as Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente. On Dec. 18, he was found dead inside a New Hampshire storage unit from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities say
The 48-year-old suspect is accused of the Dec. 13 shooting at the Ivy League campus in Providence, Rhode Island, that left students Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov dead and nine others wounded. Two days later, on Dec. 15, the suspect then allegedly fatally shot MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47, at the professor’s home in Brookline, Massachusetts.
While surveillance footage and the help of a social media tip led investigators to his rental car, the investigation now looks to understand the motive behind the killings. Here’s what we know as of Dec. 20.
deadly attack at Brown University on Dec. 13 that killed two students and wounded nine others after investigators released a person of interest. The person of interest in connection with the December 13, 2025 shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., walks in a screengrab from video released by the Providence Police.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Authorities are searching for the gunman in the deadly attack at Brown University on Dec. 13 that killed two students and wounded nine others after investigators released a person of interest. The person of interest in connection with the December 13, 2025 shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., walks in a screengrab from video released by the Providence Police.
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Authorities are searching for the gunman in the deadly attack at Brown University on Dec. 13 that killed two students and wounded nine others after investigators released a person of interest. The person of interest in connection with the December 13, 2025 shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., walks in a screengrab from video released by the Providence Police.
">Authorities are searching for the gunman in the deadly attack at Brown University on Dec. 13 that killed two students and wounded nine others after investigators released a person of interest. The person of interest in connection with the December 13, 2025 shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., walks in a screengrab from video released by the Providence Police.
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A law enforcement officer canvasses with a police dog as the manhunt continues for the gunman Dec. 15, 2025, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/li9GAJQEWFR7KyqmGM6XtA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/529722a15c3780be0f6cb8ef9c8a7e0d class=caas-img data-headline="Authorities find Brown University gunman dead in New Hampshire" data-caption="
A law enforcement officer canvasses with a police dog as the manhunt continues for the gunman Dec. 15, 2025, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
">A law enforcement officer canvasses with a police dog as the manhunt continues for the gunman Dec. 15, 2025, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
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1 / 24Authorities find Brown University gunman dead in New HampshireImages of the shooter at Brown University, identified by authorities as Claudio Neves Valente, are displayed during a press conference as civic leaders and law enforcement announce Valente has been found dead, in Providence, RI on Dec. 18, 2025.What was the suspect's academic background?
Neves Valente attended the same prestigious Portuguese academic program as Loureiro, the MIT physics and nuclear science professor he allegedly shot. Both men overlapped at the University of Lisbon’s Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), according to the university on Dec. 19.
Neves Valente studied for an engineering physics degree between 1995 and 2000, the university said in a statement. Loureiro “took the course during the same period,” the university statement said.
Neves Valente was the top student in his class, Rogério Colaço, president of the university’s IST, told the Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias.
Neves Valente had been a teaching assistant at the University of Lisbon until his contract was terminated Feb. 18, 2000, according to government records. It’s unclear whether he was fired, and the university has declined to comment on the ongoing investigation. That year, he went to Brown, in the United States, to study physics as a doctoral student but later dropped out.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, Providence Police Chief Colonel Oscar Perez and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.What do former classmates say about the suspect?
Former classmates and colleagues in Portugal have described Neves Valente as a talented, troubled and jealous academic.
Nuno Morais, who was in the same class, told the Portuguese newspaper Publico that he fell out of touch with Neves Valente.
Filipe Moura, who was colleagues with both Neves Valente and Loureiro as an undergraduate, said Neves Valente had a "confrontational personality."
A still image of Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, the suspected Brown University shooter at an Alamo Car Rental facility in Boston on Nov. 17, 2025.
Brown University President Christina Paxson said Dec. 18 that Neves Valente attended the university for only three semesters. Paxson said it was safe to say he would have spent time in the Barus & Holley building where he is accused of the mass shooting on Dec. 13.
The university hasn’t found records detailing concerns around his conduct or interactions with public safety officers.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley announce that the Brown University shooter, shown in photographs behind him and identified as Claudio Neves Valente, was found dead, during a press conference in Providence, RI on Dec. 18, 2025.Updates on immigration, reward -
In a Dec. 18 X post, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Neves Valente entered the country through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program in 2017. Officials then granted him a green card. At President Donald Trump’s direction, Noem said she immediately directed U.S. Customs and Immigration Services to stop the program.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley on Dec. 19 said the FBI should give the Reddit tipster who helped officials find Neves Valente the $50,000 reward. In a letter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel, Smiley said the tipster, known as “John” in legal documents, is “no less than a hero.” FBI declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
Lurdes da Silva provided translation for this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is the Brown University shooter? Updates on motive, suspect.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
