Salem, N.H. — A three-state manhunt has ended with the discovery of Claudio Neves Valente, the suspected shooter in deadly incidents at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was found dead in a storage unit late Thursday night. The 48-year-old man is believed to be responsible for the tragic loss of two students at Brown and the killing of an MIT professor.
Officials detailed the investigation during a press conference in Providence, explaining that a key witness who encountered Neves Valente on the day of the Brown shooting helped police connect vital dots. This witness provided a description that led authorities to a gray Nissan Sentra with Florida license plates. After tracing the vehicle back to a rental agency in Boston, police uncovered Neves Valente’s identity and financial transactions.
Investigators reported that Neves Valente had rented the car using his real name and financial information on December 1, which allowed them to begin tracking his movements in the days leading up to the shootings. On December 13 around 4 p.m., he allegedly entered the Barus and Hall building on the Brown campus, opening fire and injuring nine others in addition to the two fatalities.
Following the Brown shooting, Neves Valente is believed to have returned to Boston. Two days later, he shot and killed MIT professor Nuno F.G. Lureiro in the foyer of Lureiro’s Brookline apartment. Authorities noted that security footage placed Neves Valente close to the scene of Lureiro’s murder, adding urgency to the investigation.
After killing Lureiro, he traveled to a storage facility in Salem, where he ultimately took his own life. Surveillance images showed him entering the storage area shortly after the shooting, still wearing the same clothes. Police Chief Oscar Perez emphasized the coordination among multiple agencies that aided in locating the storage unit, highlighting the thoroughness of the investigation that followed Neves Valente’s financial records.
A significant police presence converged on the storage facility Thursday night. Upon their arrival, they found Neves Valente deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators are still piecing together the timeline of how long he had been at the site and what might have led him there.
Authorities also revealed that they had uncovered visual evidence confirming Neves Valente had been in the storage facility prior to the manhunt. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha noted that the evidence collected helped narrow down the search area and guided them to the storage location.
Despite the uncovering of physical evidence, the motives behind Neves Valente’s actions remain unclear, leaving investigators and the community seeking answers. Community memorials have begun as the state processes the tragic events, and law enforcement continues their assessments in the wake of this shocking violence.