Manhunt Ends: Suspect in Brown University Shooting Found Dead in New Hampshire Storage Facility
The suspect in the recent mass shooting at Brown University, Claudio Neves Valente, has been discovered deceased inside a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, concluding a six-day manhunt across multiple states. Valente, 48, was found with a satchel and two firearms, and initial reports suggest he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Evidence recovered from a nearby vehicle linked him to the Brown University shooting in Providence, Rhode Island.
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez credited video evidence and public tips for leading investigators to a car-rental location where Valente was identified. FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks mentioned the deployment of around 500 agents to aid in the search. Valente, a former Brown University student, was also implicated in the fatal shooting of an MIT professor, Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro, two days after the Brown incident.
The connection between the two cases was established through surveillance footage and witness accounts. Valente and Loureiro had both studied at the same university in Portugal during the late 1990s. Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley described Valente as skilled in concealing his tracks, making tracking difficult. No motive has been disclosed for either attack.
The Brown University shooting occurred on December 13, resulting in the deaths of two students and injuries to nine others. The victims were identified as Ella Cook, 19, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18. Six injured students remain hospitalized. Despite Valente's death, authorities stressed that the investigation is ongoing.