What we're covering
• The suspect in the Brown University mass shooting was found dead Thursday night after taking his own life. Claudio Valente, a 48-year-old former Brown University student and Portuguese national, was found at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.
• In an affidavit, investigators said a campus custodian’s observations and an anonymous Reddit post helped narrow the search for the suspect. But they don’t know why the suspect targeted the university.
Brown University shooting suspect also killed MIT professor, Massachusetts prosecutor says
From CNN's Laura Sharman
An undated photo of MIT Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering and director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), Nuno Loureiro.
Brown University shooting suspect Claudio Valente is accused of killing an MIT professor in Massachusetts days after the shooting at the Rhode Island university.
“On December 15, he murdered MIT professor Nuno Loureiro at Loureiro’s home in Brookline, Massachussets,” US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Leah Foley, said at a news conference in Boston on Thursday evening.
Foley added that Valente previously attended the same academic program as the MIT professor in Portugal, between 1995 and 2000
The suspected Brown University shooter was only connected to the killing of an MIT professor several days later as he was “sophisticated in hiding his tracks,” according to prosecutors.
Claudio Valente, who police have identified as a suspect in both crimes, is believed to have used an untraceable phone and avoided credit cards in his own name, said US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Foley.
Investigators suspect Valente may have used European SIM cards through a US provider, making it difficult to track his location in real-time, Foley said at a Thursday news conference.
Authorities are also investigating a fake license plate Valente used. Police believe it was an unregistered, likely old Maine plate, but its origin is still unknown, according to Foley.
Rhode Island governor praises law enforcement in Brown University shooting investigation
From CNN's Kelly McCleary
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee praised “the team of local, state, and federal law enforcement for their extraordinary collaboration and professionalism,” following the announcement that the Brown University shooting suspect had been found dead.
“As we continue to support Brown University and the Providence community through the process of healing, our hearts remain with the victims and their families whose lives have been forever changed,” McKee said in a statement Thursday night.
“In this difficult moment, we saw heartbreaking tragedy, but we also saw Rhode Island come together—and together will be the way forward,” the statement read.
Brown shooting suspect attended 3 semesters, did not receive degree, says university president
Brown University President Christina Paxson attends a news conference to announce the Brown University shooting suspect was found dead, in Providence, Rhode Island, on Thursday.
The Brown University shooting suspect attended the school for three semesters as a graduate student and had no active affiliation with the university at the time of Saturday’s shooting, President Christina H. Paxson said in a statement Thursday night.
“He was not a current student, was not an employee and did not receive a degree from the University, attending for only three semesters,” she said.
“Valente was admitted to Brown’s Graduate School to study in the Sc.M-PhD program in physics,” the statement read, noting he was enrolled from Fall 2000 to Spring 2001. He then took a leave of absence and formally withdrew from the university effective July 31, 2003.
“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,” Paxson said, referring to the building where the shooting took place.
“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,” the statement, which came after police announced the suspect was found dead, said.
No comments:
Post a Comment