The suspect in the Brown University mass shooting has been found dead. Authorities identified him as Claudio Neves Valente. He was 48 years old and a Portuguese national.
Police discovered his body on Thursday evening. He was in a storage facility in New Hampshire. The cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Who is Claudio Valente?
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez confirmed the details. He said Valente was the sole suspect in last weekend’s campus attack.
The shooting happened last Saturday. It took place in a lecture hall at Brown University in Providence. Two students were killed in the attack. Nine other people were injured.
The violence did not end there. Two days later, on Monday, another man was killed. He was identified as Nuno F.G. Loureiro. He was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was also from Portugal. He was shot at his home.
Investigators believe Valente killed Professor Loureiro. They say the two men knew each other from years ago.
Authorities explained their past connection. U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley gave details. She said Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program. They were students at a university in Portugal. This was between 1995 and 2000.
Valente also had a brief link to Brown University. Brown’s President, Christina Paxson, released a statement. She said Valente was a graduate student at Brown. He studied physics in the 2000-2001 academic year.
President Paxson was clear. She said Valente had “no current affiliation with the university.”
The investigation is ongoing. Police are working to understand the full motive. They are looking into the relationship between the suspect and the professor.
The campus community and the city of Providence are grieving. The tragedy has shocked students, staff, and residents.