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Brown University shooting: MIT prof Nuno Loureiro's death linked? New twist in Providence probe
Police explore possible connection between MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro homicide and the mass shooting at Brown.
Law enforcement agencies are probing whether there could be any link between the recent Brown University mass shooting in Providence and the fatal shooting of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at his Brookline home, WPRI reported.
However, there has been no confirmed connection yet, Ted Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston office, said at a briefing on Tuesday.
Police departments in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, along with the FBI, continue to gather evidence, conduct interviews, and analyse physical and digital data, seeking suspects and motive in both attacks. The agencies are urging the public to remain vigilant yet patient as the complex investigations proceed.
The next briefing about the Brown shooting is scheduled on Thursday at 4 PM local time.
Read more: Brown University Prez reacts to uproar over absence of silence during shooting
Brown shooting and manhunt
The Brown University attack happened inside the Barus & Holley engineering building as students prepared for exams.
Authorities said a gunman armed with a 9 mm firearm opened fire. In one of the deadliest school shootings of the year, two students, later named as Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, were killed, and nine others were injured.
Law enforcement quickly launched a multi-agency manhunt involving the Providence Police Department, the FBI and the ATF. Providence police released several images and videos of a masked suspect seen near the engineering building on surveillance footage and offered a $50,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest.
A person earlier detained as a “person of interest” was released when evidence did not link them to the crime.
Providence police have kept a visible presence on campus and in nearby neighbourhoods, and authorities appealed to residents to share any video footage or information to aid the ongoing investigation.
Read more: Brown University student's social media profiles deleted amid doxing
MIT incident and manhunt
Just two days after the Brown shooting, police in Massachusetts launched a homicide investigation when Loureiro, a prominent physicist and the director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was shot at his Brookline home on Gibbs Street.
So far, no suspects have been identified, and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office described the case as active.
Loureiro was rushed to the hospital but died of his wounds. His death caused shock and mourning from academic circles, and candlelight vigils have taken place in Brookline.
