Tragic Events Unravel at Brown University and MIT: A Chronicle of Chaos

Sat Dec 20 2025 05:07:24 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A series of violent incidents unfold in New England involving a former Brown University student, culminating in a tragic attack that leaves multiple casualties.

Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, returned to his alma mater, Brown University, before launching a deadly attack that killed two students and injured nine others. In the subsequent days, he fatally shot an MIT professor before taking his own life. Authorities pieced together his movements in the lead-up to the violence, and surveillance footage played a crucial role in understanding his actions.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — As the Thanksgiving holiday approached, Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, checked into a hotel in Boston and returned to Brown University, where he had studied physics two and a half decades earlier. Witnesses remarked on his frequent visits to the campus, often seen drifting around in a rental car with Florida plates.

The situation escalated on December 13, when Valente returned to Brown armed with a 9 mm handgun. In a lecture hall, he opened fire, resulting in the tragic deaths of two students and injuries to nine others, before escaping amidst the chaos. Just two days later, he murdered Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a fellow professor from MIT who had shared his educational journey in Portugal during the 1990s.

Investigators launched a frantic search, releasing video footage to the public, although Valente’s face remained concealed behind a mask. Frustration mounted as police failed to quickly identify the attacker, with Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez expressing a desire for the silent video to reveal the necessary answers.

Tracing Valente’s Movements

In the weeks leading to the shooting, authorities worked to reconstruct Valente's activities in New England. Surveillance footage revealed he rented a car and made multiple visits to the Brown campus, where he was even seen by a custodian.

Leading up to the attack, Valente appeared to be casing the area, even engaging in a peculiar encounter with a bystander who followed him. Witnesses described his behavior as suspicious, noting his unusual attire for the winter season.

On the day of the attack, Valente's entry into the engineering building went unnoticed until he unleashed gunfire on unsuspecting students preparing for finals, leaving the scene shortly thereafter. Due to the lack of security cameras in the immediate vicinity, investigators faced challenges in capturing concrete evidence of his actions.

A Recognition and Further Violence

After the shooting, locals felt fear as they learned from investigators that Valente was also suspected in the subsequent shooting of Loureiro, who was targeted in his Brookline home just the following week. Initially, connections between the two incidents appeared tenuous, as police sifted through evidence and witness statements.

As details regarding Valente's violent acts emerged, students who survived the Brown shooting began to recognize his likeness in the released footage, confirming his identity as the assailant.

Connecting the Dots

Police ultimately identified the similarity in the shootings after a man named John provided critical information regarding Valente’s vehicle, linking him to both the horrific events. Authorities gathered footage from over 70 street cameras across Rhode Island as part of their investigation.

Valente’s tragic chapter concluded when he turned up deceased in a New Hampshire storage facility, with indications that he had taken his own life. Investigators remained busy piecing together the full scope of his actions and motives, as the community worked through the shock of the violence that had unfolded on such well-respected campuses.