The suspect in the deadly mass shooting at Brown University, which claimed the lives of two students and injured nine others on December 13, has been found dead, authorities announced on December 18.
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez identified the suspect as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente (also reported as Claudio Neves Valente or Claudio Neves-Valente), a 48-year-old Portuguese national and enrolled student at Brown University. His last known address was in Miami, Florida.
Valente’s body was discovered in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, where he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to law enforcement officials. The discovery ended a intense multi-day manhunt involving local, state, and federal agencies, including the FBI.
The Shooting at Brown University
The attack occurred shortly after 4:00 p.m. on December 13 in the Barus and Holley Building, home to the School of Engineering and physics department. A lone gunman opened fire during a review session, killing two students and wounding nine others.
The victims killed were identified as:
- Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman from Virginia.
- Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore from Alabama.
All injured victims were treated at Rhode Island Hospital, with most discharged in the following days.
Connection to MIT Professor’s Death
Investigators are also examining links to the fatal shooting of Nuno Loureiro, a 47-year-old MIT physics professor, who was killed in his Brookline, Massachusetts home on December 15 (or around that date). Authorities believe the same vehicle—a rented Nissan Sentra—was used in both incidents.
Investigation and Manhunt
The breakthrough came from public tips, surveillance footage, and tracking a rental vehicle, which led authorities to Valente’s identity and the New Hampshire storage facility.
The case is now considered resolved with the suspect deceased, though probes into motives and full connections continue.
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