Brown University shooter Claudio Neves Valente knew MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, and his connection to the university and the slain nuclear science professor date as far back 30 years, the New York Post reported. Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, killed two people and injured several others at Brown university, before murdering Loureiro two days later.
How did Claudio Neves Valente know Nuno Loureiro?
Valente and Loureiro first crossed paths between 1995 and 2000 at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Portugal. At the time, the two of them took the same course, authorities and the school said, per the outlet.
“My understanding is that they did know each other,” said US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Foley at a Thursday press conference, according to CBS News.
Claudio Neves Valente’s connection to Brown University
Valente came to the US on an F-1 student visa in 2000, beginning his enrollment at Brown in a doctoral program in fall 2000. However, his tenure at the college was not long.
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Valente took a leave of absence in spring 2001 before officially exiting the school in 2003. He had no current ties to the school, officials confirmed.
{{/usCountry}}Valente took a leave of absence in spring 2001 before officially exiting the school in 2003. He had no current ties to the school, officials confirmed.
{{/usCountry}}The school said in a statement, “Neves Valente was admitted to Brown's Graduate School to study in the Sc.M-PhD program in physics. During his time at Brown, Neves Valente was enrolled only in physics classes, and it is likely that he would have taken courses and spent time in Barus & Holley, where the vast majority of physics courses take place in classrooms and laboratories. Detailed records indicating where classes were held don’t extend back to 2001.”
During the shooting at Brown University, Valente gunned down sophomore Ella Cook and freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. He wounded nine other people during his deadly rampage at Brown University's Providence campus in Rhode Island on Saturday, December 13.
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Valente later switched license plates and traveled to Brookline, where he killed Loureiro at the teacher’s home.
Valente was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the storage facility he rented out.
Brown University President Christina H. Paxson said in a recent statement, “Nothing can fully bring closure to the lives that have been shattered by last weekend’s gun violence. Now, however, our community has the opportunity to move forward and begin a path of repair, recovery and healing. I want to thank the dedicated city, state and federal law enforcement agencies that worked tirelessly on this case. We hope this brings an increased sense of safety for our community.”