Police say the man believed to be responsible for last week’s deadly shooting at Brown University has been found dead, bringing an end to a six-day search across multiple US states.
Authorities identified the suspect as Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national who briefly studied at Brown University more than two decades ago. His body was discovered inside a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, according to law enforcement officials.
Investigators said public tips and CCTV footage helped trace Valente’s movements. Police were able to link him to a car rental location, where his name matched that of the main person of interest in the case. Further evidence found in a nearby vehicle reportedly connected him to the Brown University shooting scene.
Officials also believe Valente was responsible for the killing of an MIT professor, Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro, who was shot dead at his home in Massachusetts two days after the Brown University attack. Police said both men had attended the same university in Portugal in the late 1990s.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha confirmed that Valente was found with firearms and other items consistent with the investigation. Early findings suggest his death was self-inflicted, though authorities have not disclosed when exactly he died or how long he had been in the storage unit.
Despite locating the suspect, law enforcement agencies say the investigation is ongoing. The FBI deployed hundreds of agents to assist local police, and officials stressed that many questions — including a possible motive — remain unanswered.
The shooting at Brown University occurred on 13 December, when a gunman opened fire inside an engineering building during final exams. Two students were killed and nine others were injured, with several still receiving medical treatment.
University President Christina Paxson confirmed that Valente had no current connection to Brown University and was last enrolled there during the 2000–2001 academic year.
Police thanked the public for their cooperation and reiterated that they will continue working to fully understand how the attacks unfolded and what led to them.
