The suspect in last week’s Brown University shooting has been found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, following a six-day multi-state manhunt, police said.
Authorities identified the suspect as Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national who studied at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, approximately 25 years ago.
Investigation leads and discovery
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said video evidence and tips from the public led investigators to a car rental location, where the suspect’s name was identified and matched to the person of interest.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Valente was found dead with a satchel and two firearms. Evidence recovered from a nearby vehicle matched the scene of the shooting at Brown University.
Initial findings suggest Valente died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, although police could not confirm how long he had been inside the storage unit.
Possible link to MIT professor’s killing
Officials believe Valente also shot and killed MIT professor Nuno F Gomes Loureiro, 47, two days after the Brown University attack. The professor was found dead at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, around 50 miles from Providence.
Both the suspect and the victim had studied at the same university in Portugal in the late 1990s, police said.
Authorities linked the two cases after CCTV footage and witness testimony identified the suspect’s vehicle at Brown University. The same car was later spotted near the scene of the Brookline shooting.
“He was using a phone that obfuscated the ability to track it,” said Leah B Foley, the US attorney representing Massachusetts. “He was sophisticated in hiding his tracks.”
FBI involvement and ongoing questions
FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks said approximately 500 agents were deployed to assist local authorities.
“Even though the suspect was found dead tonight, our work is not done. There are many questions that need to be answered,” he said.
Authorities have not provided any suspected motive for either attack.
Brown University response
Brown University President Christina Paxson confirmed that Valente was enrolled at the Ivy League institution from autumn 2000 to spring 2001, studying for a PhD in physics.
She said he had no current active affiliation with the university.
Victims of the attack
The shooting took place at Brown University’s Barus & Holley engineering building during final exams.
Two students were killed and nine others injured, six of whom remain in hospital. The victims were identified as Ella Cook, 19, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, an Uzbek-American freshman.
Public appeal and reward
In the days following the attack, members of the public expressed frustration over the pace of the investigation. Police later released footage of a person of interest seen walking around campus wearing a black mask.
The FBI also offered a $50,000 (£37,350) reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the attack.
Source: BBC
Also read: Brown University shooting kills two during exam review
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