Authorities on Thursday reportedly identified Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente as the suspect in last week’s deadly shooting at Brown University, bringing a grim end to a days-long manhunt after he was found dead by an FBI SWAT team in a storage unit in New Hampshire.
At a press conference, Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez and FBI Special Agent Ted Docks confirmed Valente as the individual believed responsible for the attack, which left two students dead and nine others injured.
The announcement followed what officials described as an intensive, multi-state law enforcement effort spanning nearly a week.
Perez told reporters that Valente was a 48-year-old Portuguese national who had previously been enrolled as a student at Brown University.
According to Perez, Valente’s last known address was in Miami, Florida. “The individual was identified as Claudio Neves Valente,” Perez said. “He was a Brown student, he was a Portuguese national, and his last known address was in Miami, Florida. And I will tell you that he took his own life tonight.”
FBI Special Agent Docks provided additional details about how the manhunt concluded. He said that shortly before 9 p.m., an FBI SWAT team executed court-authorized search warrants at a storage unit facility in Salem, New Hampshire. It was there, Docks said, that agents located Valente, whom authorities believe carried out the Brown University shooting.
“We got him,” Docks said, calling the discovery the latest development in an “intense five-day manhunt.” He credited the outcome to the coordinated efforts of law enforcement agencies working across state lines. “It’s the result of an incredible amount of work dedicated by the law enforcement team standing before you here tonight,” he said.
Despite locating the suspect, Docks emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing. He said significant work still lies ahead for investigators tasked with piecing together what led to the shooting. “Even though the suspect was found dead tonight, our work is not done,” Docks said. “There are many questions that need to be answered. There’s a lot of evidence that needs to be processed and most importantly the victims and their families deserve special care and consideration.”
Docks added that federal and local authorities will continue searching for answers to determine what motivated Valente to commit what he described as a senseless act of violence. He said the FBI and its partners in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire remain committed to supporting victims, survivors, and their families as the investigation continues.
Brown University President Christina Paxson also released information about Valente’s academic history at the school. She said Valente was enrolled at Brown from the fall of 2000 through the spring of 2001. According to Paxson, he had been admitted to Brown’s graduate school to study in a master of science PhD program in physics beginning September 1, 2000. She said he took a leave of absence effective April 2001 and later formally withdrew from the university effective July 31, 2003.
Authorities also noted that Valente studied at the same university in Portugal as plasma physicist Nuno Loureiro, who was killed this week in Massachusetts, just days after the Brown University shooting. Investigators have said their work will continue as they seek clarity for the victims and the public following a violent episode that has shaken multiple communities.
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