Brown University Shooting Ends as Suspect in MIT Professor Murder

Providence, RI / Salem, NH – December 19, 2025 – In a dramatic end to a multi-state manhunt, authorities announced late Thursday that the suspect in the deadly mass shooting at Brown University has been found dead. The individual, identified as Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and former Brown graduate student, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire.

Neves-Valente is also believed to be responsible for the murder of MIT physics professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro just days after the campus attack, shocking communities across New England.

What Happened at Brown University

On Saturday, December 13, 2025, during finals week, a gunman entered the Barus and Holley engineering and physics building on Brown’s campus in Providence, Rhode Island. He opened fire in an auditorium where students were gathered for a review session.

• Victims Killed: Two students – 19-year-old Ella Cook and 18-year-old Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov.
• Injured: Nine others, with most treated and released from Rhode Island Hospital.

The shooter escaped on foot, sparking a massive search involving local, state, and federal agencies, including the FBI.

Connection to MIT Professor’s Killing

Two days later, on December 15, renowned MIT nuclear fusion scientist Nuno Loureiro, 47, was fatally shot in the foyer of his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Investigators linked the crimes through:

• A rental car traced to Neves-Valente, spotted near both scenes.
• Surveillance footage showing similar movements and clothing.
• Evidence that Neves-Valente and Loureiro attended the same university in Lisbon, Portugal, years ago – suggesting Loureiro may have been specifically targeted.

No motive has been publicly disclosed for either attack, and officials stated there is no evidence Neves-Valente knew the Brown victims or acted with accomplices.

How Authorities Closed In

• Tips, including one from Reddit about suspicious vehicle behavior, led to re-examining footage.
• A rental Nissan Sentra was identified, linked to Neves-Valente via records and video.
• The car was located at a storage facility in Salem, NH, where law enforcement executed a search warrant.
• Neves-Valente was found dead inside the unit, along with firearms and evidence matching the crime scenes.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez, and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley praised the collaborative effort. U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley confirmed the connections in a separate briefing.

Brown University President Christina Paxson noted Neves-Valente’s brief enrollment in the physics Ph.D. program from 2000-2001, before he withdrew. The shooting occurred in a building central to that department.

Community Reaction and Ongoing Investigation

The resolution brings relief but no closure for grieving families and campuses. Vigils have been held, and Brown canceled remaining classes for the fall semester.

Authorities continue ballistic and forensic testing, though they are confident the threat is over.