A man suspected of killing two people and injuring nine others last Saturday at Brown University was found dead in a New Hampshire warehouse where he had rented storage, authorities said. Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said at a news conference. Perez said investigators believe the suspect acted alone, the Associated Press reports.
Investigators believe Neves Valente is responsible for both the Brown shooting and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor, who was shot to death Monday at his Brookline home, said Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley.
Two people were killed and nine were injured in Saturday’s shooting at Brown University. The investigation took a turn Thursday when authorities said they were investigating a possible link between Brown’s shooting and the attack two days later near Boston that killed MIT professor Nuno FG Loureiro, 47.
Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled at Brown from fall 2000 to spring 2001. He was admitted to graduate school to study physics beginning in September 2000. “He currently has no affiliation with the university,” she said.
Neves Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, Foley said. The FBI previously said it was not aware of any connection between the two shootings.
A second person came forward after Wednesday’s news conference and helped resolve the case, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said, “When it’s solved, it’s solved. This person led us to the car, led us to the name.”
Foley said investigators identified the vehicle Neves Valente rented from Boston and drove to Rhode Island. This vehicle was seen near Brown University. Foley said that after leaving Rhode Island for Massachusetts, the suspect placed a Maine license plate on the rental car’s license plate to conceal his identity.
Video footage showed Neves Valente entering a building near Loureiro’s residence. About an hour later, he was seen entering the warehouse where he was found dead, Foley said.
Neves Valente had studied at Brown on an F1 visa. He was finally granted legal permanent residency in September 2017, Foley said. His last known residence was in Miami.
There are still “many unknowns” regarding the motive, Neronha said. “We don’t know why now, why Brown, why these students and why this class,” he said.
Frustration grew in Providence because the attacker managed to escape and no clear image of his face emerged.
Although Brown officials say there are 1,200 cameras on campus, the attack occurred in an older part of the engineering building that has few or no cameras. And investigators believe the shooter entered and exited through a door onto a residential street bordering campus, which could explain why Brown’s cameras did not capture images of the person.
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