Brown University suspected gunman also linked to MIT professor fatal shooting, officials say

Brown Univ. shooting suspect found dead

A suspect wanted in connection to the recent deadly shooting at Brown University has been found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Fox's Brooke Taylor.

The suspect in the deadly Brown University shooting that left two students dead and nine injured was found deceased inside a storage facility in New Hampshire on Thursday evening, officials said during a news conference. 

The suspect had taken his own life, investigators confirmed. 

Officials also confirmed in a separate news conference held in Massachusetts, that the same gunman was allegedly responsible for the shooting death of Nuno Loureiro, a professor at MIT. 

Police on scene at the Extra Space Storage facility where the Brown University shooting suspect was found dead on Dec. 18, 2025. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Who was the Brown University gunman?

What we know:

Investigators identified the Brown University shooter as Claudio Nieves Valente, 48. He was a former student at Brown and was a Portuguese national, officials said during a news conference on Thursday evening.

He was found dead with a satchel which contained two firearms, officials said. 

Valente was enrolled at Brown in 2000 before he formally withdrew in 2003. He was pursuing a Ph.D. in physics. He was in the United States on a student visa and had applied for a green card. 

His most recent previous address was in Miami, Florida. 

What we don't know:

A motive was not immediately known. 

Police search car linked to Brown Univ. shooting

We are hearing tonight that investigators are looking into the possibility that the Brown University shooting and an MIT professor who was killed in his home may be connected. Two of the people who were familiar with the matter said Thursday that investigators had identified a person of interest in the shootings and were actively seeking that individual. LiveNOW’s Austin Westfall is learning more this evening with Law Enforcement Expert, Jamie Copenhaver, as police continue their investigation.

Brown University shooting

The backstory:

Two students were killed and nine others wounded after a shooting inside a Brown University classroom on Dec. 13. 

Investigators had released several videos from the hours and minutes before and after the shooting that show a person who, according to police, matched witnesses' description of the shooter. In the clips, the person was seen standing, walking and even running along streets just off campus, but always with a mask on or their head turned.

A second individual who was identified in proximity to the suspect came forward after Wednesday’s press conference and helped "blow the lid" off the case, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said.

"When you crack it, you crack it. That person led us to the car, led us to the name," Neronha said.

MIT professor shot and killed

UPDATE: MIT professor shot, killed in Brookline home

Authorities are investigating the death of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor after he was found fatally shot inside his Boston-area apartment earlier this week. Sam Mintz with Brookline.News joined LiveNOW's Josh Breslow to discuss the latest on the investigation.

Officials in Massachusetts confirmed that Valente allegedly killed Loureiro at his home on Dec. 15. 

Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said on Thursday. 

The backstory:

About 50 miles north of Brown University, Boston-area police are investigating the shooting death of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor earlier this week. 

Loureiro, 47, was a professor in the departments of Nuclear Science & Engineering and Physics. He was also the director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. 

He grew up in Viseu, in central Portugal, and studied in Lisbon before earning a doctorate in London, according to MIT. He was a researcher at an institute for nuclear fusion in Lisbon before joining MIT, the university said.