During two simultaneous press conferences Thursday night, both in Massachusetts and in Rhode Island, authorities revealed that the man who committed the mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday, Dec 13, is also the same person who shot a prominent MIT nuclear science professor Monday night, Dec. 15 in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Two students were killed and nine others were wounded at Brown University on Saturday. Then MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, was shot dead in his Massachusetts condo Monday night.
The gunman in both cases was identified as Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, 48, a former Brown University student, a Portuguese national, whose last known address was in Miami, Florida.
Police said Neves-Valente initially came to the U.S. from Portugal in 2000 on a student visa, and then applied for and received “lawful permanent residence” status in September 2017.
Brown University president Christina Paxson said Neves-Valente was enrolled at Brown from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001. He was admitted to Brown’s graduate school to study in a Masters of Science PhD program in physics beginning on Sept. 1, 2000. He took a leave of absence in April 2001 before formally withdrawing July 31, 2003. He was only enrolled in physics classes. When he was a student, he would have spent a great deal of time in the building where he committed the shooting.
Authorities said they believe Neves-Valente and the MIT professor Nuno Loureiro attended the same university in Portugal, between 1995 and 2000.
Neves-Valente had dropped out of the physics program at Brown, while Loureiro had gone on to become a renowned scientist at MIT.
Police said Neves-Valente rented a car from Enterprise near Logan Airport in Boston, and also rented a storage unit at the facility in New Hampshire in November, where he was found dead Thursday night of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The tangled web of events was unraveled, thanks to tips provided by another man who was either homeless, or working as a custodian at Brown, who had a confrontation with Neves-Valente at the university about two hours prior to the shooting.
The man came to police and shared his story, and was also able to identify the car that Neves-Valente was driving. Police then went back to surveillance footage, found the car, tracked it down to the rental agency, and was able to get the suspect’s name.
BREAKING: Photo released of suspected Brown University shooter Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old noncitizen from Portugal and former Brown University student
He was found dead at a storage facility in New Hampshire. pic.twitter.com/xY2ViD2Mmu
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 19, 2025
NEW: Officials believe Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente is responsible for both the Brown University shooting and the murder of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro.
The U.S. attorney for Massachusetts confirms that both individuals attended the same academic program from 1995 to 2000.… pic.twitter.com/qvrogDCSQl
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 19, 2025
Below is the press conference in Boston Thursday night:
Claudio Neves-Valente represented Portugal at the 1995 International Physics Olympiad.
Explains the MIT connection. Brown still a question mark. pic.twitter.com/pRGQ5D0AS2
— Kevin MacFarland (@GOPChairperson) December 19, 2025
BREAKING: Authorities say Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente carried out the Brown University attack and is also responsible for the murder of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro in Brookline, Massachusetts. pic.twitter.com/5qTfOpRn3m
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 19, 2025
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