PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Authorities have released new surveillance footage depicting the gunman in the tragic shooting that occurred at Brown University last month, where two students lost their lives during a study session. In the video, Claudio Neves Valente is seen exiting the university’s Barus & Holley building and fleeing across a parking lot, just moments after the shooting took place on December 13.
Valente, who allegedly fired over 40 rounds from a 9 mm handgun, targeted students Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, leaving nine others injured in the chaotic scene. The footage, recorded by a shuttle bus’s dash camera, reveals Valente briskly turning left toward a nearby residential area, while police vehicles swarm the campus, lights flashing in response to the emergency.
Following the shooting, law enforcement engaged in a six-day manhunt for Valente. Ultimately, he was found deceased in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, having died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An anonymous tipster was crucial in leading authorities to Valente’s location after he had managed to elude capture.
After leaving Providence, Valente was also implicated in the fatal shooting of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro in Brookline. Tensions continued to mount as it was revealed that, before his death, Valente recorded four videos expressing no remorse for his actions. In these videos, he spoke in Portuguese, indicating a troubling mindset at the time.
Valente, who was enrolled in a PhD program in physics at Brown until he took a leave of absence in April 2001, had a documented history with the university. Brown University President Christina Paxson remarked on Valente’s prolonged presence in the Barus & Holley building, implying a deeper connection to the site of the shooting, which may have compounded the tragedy.
Investigators have not provided further comments on the newly released footage. While the university community grieves the loss of lives and seeks answers, the incident has sparked discussions about campus safety and gun violence, raising questions about the support systems in place for students exhibiting troubling behaviors.
The impact of this shooting has rippled through the academic and local community, prompting calls for change and renewed focus on mental health resources and campus security measures.