Authorities have announced that Claudio Neves Valente, the suspected shooter in Wednesday’s tragic Brown University incident, has committed suicide. This terrible disclosure compounds the sadness of a heartbreakingly tragic situation. Authorities found the 48-year-old man at a storage unit in nearby Salem, New Hampshire. He did have a duffle bag, and in that bag were two long guns. This progress comes on the heels of a horrific school shooting. It took two Brown University students, Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, from their friends and family.
Valente’s vehicle was tracked down thanks to tips from dozens of citizens who shared important details that helped law enforcement track the thief. Evidence found inside his car connected him almost immediately to the shooting scene in Providence. This link deepened his established participation within the crime. Investigators think Valente killed an associate professor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This hate-inspired crime occurred at the professor’s residence in the Boston metropolitan area. Authorities now believe that Valente studied at the same university in Lisbon that the MIT professor is a finals judge. Such a connection would help tie the suspect to the victims.
Christina Paxson, president of Brown University, stated that Valente “has no current affiliation with the university,” noting that he had formally withdrawn from the institution in 2003 after taking a leave of absence in April 2001. This disconnection has led to a great deal of anxiety and fear from students and their faculty members.
Brett Smiley, mayor of Providence, said they understood the fear that this event has created in the community. He noted that investigation ultimately resulted in Valente’s identification and death. He was explicit that this did not stop or suspend anybody else in the investigation.
Perhaps the most crucial element in finding Valente’s location was a lead from someone who knew where he was living. This intel enabled police to follow the path of his car and eventually find him in New Hampshire.