Police say the gunman behind a deadly shooting at Brown University and the killing of an MIT professor has been identified as Claudio Neves Valente, a former Brown student. Authorities also confirmed that Valente later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
After nearly a week on the run, Valente — a Portuguese national — was found dead late Thursday night, bringing a dramatic end to a manhunt launched after Saturday’s shooting that killed two Brown University students, police said.
Authorities discovered the body of the 48-year-old former graduate student inside a Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility late Tuesday, where a satchel and two firearms were found during the execution of a search warrant around 9 p.m.
Claudio Neves Valente, 48, the suspected gunman in the Brown and MIT shootings, is shown in an undated handout photo. Police say he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Dec. 18, 2025. via REUTERS
In the days before his identity was confirmed, the suspect surfaced in a series of grainy images that offered investigators their first clues. FOX News
FBI Special Agent Ted Docks revealed a chilling connection: Valente once studied in Lisbon with MIT nuclear science professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, who was gunned down Monday inside his $1.4 million townhouse in upscale Brookline, Massachusetts. Police confirmed late Thursday that Valente was the shooter.
A native of Portugal, Loureiro studied physics at Lisbon’s prestigious Instituto Superior Técnico before building his academic career abroad.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley revealed late Thursday that the two shared the same academic program from 1995 to 2000, a connection that has drawn renewed scrutiny as investigators piece together the case.
Between 2000 and 2001, Valente was a graduate physics student at Brown University. He mainly took classes in the Barus & Holley building — the same location where, according to Brown President Christina Paxson, he opened fire on students inside a classroom on Saturday.
“It is safe to assume that this man, when he was a student, spent a lot of time in that building,” Paxson told reporters.
Valente once studied in Lisbon alongside MIT nuclear science professor Nuno Loureiro, 47 — the same man authorities say he killed at his Brookline, Massachusetts, home on Dec. 15, 2025. MIT
Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former physics student, was listed as residing in Miami. Providence Police Dept
Valente took a leave of absence from Brown University in April 2001 and officially withdrew in 2003. He had arrived in the United States from Portugal on a student visa and, according to officials, became a lawful permanent resident in September 2017.
Valente entered the United States in 2017 through the Diversity Visa (DV1) lottery program, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed, and was subsequently granted a green card.
“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” she wrote.
“In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people,” she continued.
She reported that President Trump will halt the lottery program that enabled Valente to enter the U.S., citing the recent deadly incidents.
“At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program,” she concluded.
Saturday, the suspect walked into the elite Providence university and opened fire inside the Barus & Holley building, fatally wounding students Ella Cook, 19, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, a freshman from Uzbekistan.
Nine additional people were wounded in the barrage of bullets, and six remained in the hospital on Wednesday.
The case finally cracked open after a Reddit user reported seeing a gray Nissan with Florida plates in Providence, noting an unusual interaction with a man and suggesting police take a closer look.
Tracking the Suspected Path of Claudio Neves Valente
Authorities moved in on a Salem, New Hampshire, warehouse, closing in on the suspected shooter in a tense standoff. WBZ
After police released still images of the individual they suspected was the Reddit poster and witness, he came forward at the Providence station, offering key details on the shooter’s clothing, behavior, and car that ultimately helped identify Valente.
In a tense street encounter, the man reportedly asked Valente, "Your car is back there, why are you circling the block?" — details later included in an arrest affidavit.
The suspect responded, “I don’t know you from nobody,” and then, “Why are you harassing me?”
Valente rented a gray Nissan in Boston and swapped its license plates, a move that authorities said made tracking him significantly more difficult, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha revealed.
Foley explained that authorities tied the Portuguese gunman to Loureiro’s death by tracking the rented car and following his movements.
The lead prosecutor announced that investigators have sufficient probable cause to charge Valente with the murder of Loureiro and the deadly shooting at Brown University.
Authorities captured Valente on security cameras within half a mile of Loureiro’s home, and Foley noted that video also shows him entering a nearby apartment building, raising critical leads in the investigation.
Foley said Valente appeared to have known Loureiro from their days studying together, but authorities have not revealed any further details about their connection or whether the two had maintained contact in recent years.
Foley described how Valente allegedly shot Loureiro and, about an hour later, drove to a rented New Hampshire storage unit, where he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Tragedy struck Brown University on Dec. 13, 2025, when students Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook were gunned down on campus in Providence, Rhode Island. Gofundme; Linkedin/Ella Cook
FBI Evidence Response Team agents investigate at the Extra Space Storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, on Dec. 18, 2025, following the discovery of Valente. Kyle Mazza/Shutterstock
Valente’s car is removed from a Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility after authorities found his body inside. Kyle Mazza
The prosecutor noted that Valente relied on a phone that hid his whereabouts and carried credit cards that weren’t in his name, complicating efforts to track him.
"He was sophisticated in hiding his tracks," Foley said, emphasizing that authorities still do not know what drove him to commit the acts.
Investigators in the Brown case said they have yet to determine whether the gunman spoke or shouted upon entering the classroom. Witnesses were divided: some heard nothing, while others recalled what they described as “barking,” Neronha said.
Law enforcement released blurry video and still images from surveillance cameras around the university, showing the suspect roaming city sidewalks in the moments before and after the mass shooting.
Authorities briefly detained 24-year-old Benjamin Erickson on Sunday after the first video surfaced, questioning him about the shooting before releasing him and admitting he was mistakenly identified.
Authorities said Valente’s identity remained unknown until Wednesday. "That’s when this thing really heated up. As soon as you have a name, I believe you can find anybody in this country," Neronha said.
