The suspect wanted in connection with the deadly shooting at Brown University — an attack that left two students dead and nine others wounded — was found dead late Thursday night inside a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, authorities confirmed. The discovery ends a multi-day manhunt that spanned multiple states following the Saturday afternoon massacre on campus.
Police said an unexpected tip came from a homeless man who spotted a suspicious vehicle near campus in the hours after the Brown University shooting. He posted what he saw in a Reddit thread, and the details quickly caught investigators’ attention, ultimately helping police identify the suspect’s car and move the case forward.
Officials identified the suspect as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown University graduate student. Investigators say he died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. His body was discovered in a storage unit he rented, where authorities had tracked him after days of coordinated surveillance and investigative leads.
Valente is also believed to be responsible for the fatal shooting of an MIT professor earlier in the week. According to investigators, the professor was found dead in his Brookline, Massachusetts home on December 15, and evidence recovered from both scenes suggested the same gunman.
Police say there is no indication that anyone else was involved in either attack. The motive remains under investigation, and authorities are now turning their attention to reconstructing the suspect’s movements in the hours and days following both shootings.
The Brown University attack unfolded inside the Barus & Holley engineering building, where students had gathered for a review session ahead of finals. Two students were killed and nine others were wounded before the shooter fled, prompting an urgent, widespread search that concluded with Thursday’s discovery.
Officials are expected to release additional details as the investigation progresses.
