Authorities have identified Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente as the suspect behind the deadly shooting at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others — and the same individual believed to have murdered a prominent MIT nuclear scientist just days later. After days of fear, uncertainty, and a massive law-enforcement effort, officials confirmed Thursday evening that Neves-Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Providence police confirmed Neves-Valente’s identity after federal agents surrounded and breached a storage unit connected to him in Salem, New Hampshire. Tactical teams had been stationed there for hours before making the grim discovery. The suspect was 48 years old and a Portuguese national.
Neves-Valente briefly studied physics at Brown University from fall 2000 through spring 2001, according to Brown President Christina Paxson. He later went on leave and formally withdrew in 2003. He had no current affiliation with the university — a point officials made clear, though facts rarely stop speculation in moments like this.
Records also show a man with the same name was terminated from a monitoring position at Portugal’s Instituto Superior Técnico in 2000. Authorities believe this individual is the same person responsible for the killings. That institution is also where MIT professor Nuno Loureiro once studied — the same Loureiro who was fatally shot at his Massachusetts home earlier this week.
Federal officials later confirmed Neves-Valente was the prime suspect in Loureiro’s murder as well. U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley stated that agents entered the storage locker around 9 p.m. Thursday while searching for the suspect tied to the Brown and MIT killings — and found him deceased.
The Brown University shooting occurred Saturday afternoon during a finals-week physics review session inside the Barus and Holley Building, a longtime hub for physics and engineering courses. Two students, Ella Cook of Alabama and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov of Virginia, were killed. Six additional victims remained hospitalized as of Thursday, all in stable condition.
A motive has not yet been determined, and the investigation remains ongoing. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said authorities are continuing to piece together the suspect’s actions and movements.
In the days following the attack, police canvassed neighborhoods for surveillance footage and released images of a masked person of interest — described as stocky, around 5 feet 8 inches tall, with an unusual gait. Investigators later asked the public for help identifying a second individual who may have had relevant information. After days of anxiety and unanswered questions, clarity finally arrived.
The surrounding community spent much of the week on edge, with Brown sending students home early as law enforcement worked across state lines to locate the suspect. While the outcome is tragic, the coordinated response by local, state, and federal authorities ensured the threat was neutralized.
It’s a heartbreaking reminder of why public safety matters — and why strong, decisive law enforcement remains essential. Justice may not always arrive the way we want, but in this case, the danger is over, answers are coming, and the community can finally begin to heal.
