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The suspect in the deadly shooting at Brown University in the United States has been found dead, police have confirmed.
Two students, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook, were killed and nine others were injured when gunfire erupted inside a classroom building at the Ivy League university in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday.
At a news conference on Thursday night, authorities said the suspected gunman was discovered dead. He was identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national whose last known residence was in Miami, Florida, according to Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez.
Brown University President Christina Paxson confirmed that Neves Valente was formerly a PhD student in physics at the university. He received a green card in 2017 through the diversity visa lottery (DV1) programme, which former President Donald Trump ordered to be suspended immediately on Friday.
Neves Valente’s body was found inside a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, and investigators believe he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A senior official said it appeared he had been dead for some time.
Reddit tip led to breakthrough
Police said the case took a major turn after officers received a tip linked to a Reddit post describing a witness account. In the post, the witness reported seeing a man matching the suspect’s description accessing a grey Nissan sedan with Florida licence plates parked near the Rhode Island Historical Society, close to the Barus and Holley building, where the shooting occurred.
“I’m being dead serious. Police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental,” the Reddit user wrote.
Authorities later confirmed that the tip matched CCTV footage showing the suspect, who was wearing a face covering, interacting with another individual less than two hours before the attack. Police released images of this second person in an effort to identify him.
Within hours, the witness voluntarily came forward. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said the individual “blew the case wide open.”
Witness followed suspect
The witness, identified only as John in court documents, said he first encountered the suspect around 1:45pm inside a bathroom at the Barus and Holley building, where they briefly made eye contact.
John followed the man after he left the building, describing the situation as “a game of cat and mouse” through nearby streets and toward the parked Nissan. He said he saw two fanny-pack-style bags inside the vehicle.
When John confronted the man about circling the area, the suspect accused him of harassment and fled. John later saw the suspect return to the vehicle once more before leaving the area.
Rental car traced to suspect
The Nissan was traced through CCTV footage to a car rental company in Boston, where video and rental records identified the suspect as Neves Valente. John later confirmed the vehicle’s identity.
Police also noted that the clothing Neves Valente wore when renting the car on 1 December matched what the shooter was seen wearing on 13 December, including a distinctive two-tone jacket, black trousers, dark-soled shoes, glasses, and a blue shirt visible beneath the jacket.
Linked to second murder
Authorities confirmed that Neves Valente was also responsible for the murder of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, who was found shot dead at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, two days after the Brown University shooting.
US Attorney Leah B. Foley said Neves Valente and Mr Loureiro had studied in the same academic programme in Lisbon, Portugal, between 1995 and 2000.
Final movements and evidence
Investigators said Neves Valente placed a Maine licence plate over the rental car’s original plate to avoid identification after leaving Rhode Island.
CCTV footage showed him entering a residential building near Mr Loureiro’s home, then traveling to the New Hampshire storage facility, where he was later found dead.
Inside the vehicle, police recovered a satchel containing two firearms and evidence that directly matched items found at the Brown University crime scene.
Despite the progress, officials said the motive remains unclear. “We don’t know why now, why Brown, why these students, or why this classroom,” Mr Neronha said.
Immigration details and policy response
University records show Neves Valente attended Brown from 2000 to 2001, later withdrawing formally in 2003. His visa application listed Brown University and the Barus and Holley building as his institution and address, despite indicating inconsistent attendance dates.
Following confirmation of his immigration status, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Trump administration had paused the DV1 visa programme, citing security concerns.
“At President Trump’s direction, USCIS is pausing the DV1 programme to ensure no more Americans are harmed,” Ms Noem wrote on X.
