MIT Professor's Shooting: Latest Details In The Case After Suspect Found Dead

BROOKLINE, MA — The man authorities say killed MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro and two Brown University students in a Saturday campus shooting was found dead in Salem, New Hampshire Thursday night, according to United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Foley.

Here are the latest details on the case and what we know about the suspect.

Who is Claudio Neves Valente?

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, gunned down MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, at his home in Brookline on Monday, authorities said. Two days before that, on Saturday, he entered an on-campus building at Brown University where students were taking exams and killed two students, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook. Officials didn't immediately announce a link between the two incidents but as the investigation unfolded, authorities traced the suspect to the New Hampshire storage unit Thursday.

After a multi-day search for a suspect in both cases, Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a unit at Extra Space Storage on 10 Hampshire Road by an FBI Swat Team at approximately 9 p.m. Thursday. Two firearms and a satchel were also discovered along with the body.

His car was observed multiple times in the vicinity of Brown University before the shooting on Saturday, according to authorities.

Valente, a Portuguese national whose last known address was in Miami, Florida, first came to Massachusetts at the end of November, officials said. At that time, he rented a hotel room in Boston as well as a gray Nissan Sentra.

Valente is believed to have traveled to the New Hampshire storage facility immediately after shooting Loureiro.

Did Valente Know Loureiro?

Officials say the pair knew each other but the extent of their relationship isn't clear: Valente and Loureiro both studied physics at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal at the same time more than 25 years ago.

“Previously, he attended the same academic program as the MIT Professor in Portugal between 1995 and 2000,” Foley said. "My understanding is that they did know each other."

Valente was terminated from a position at Instituto Superior Técnico in 2000, according to a report from WCVB NewsCenter 5.

According to Foley, surveillance footage showed Valente entering an apartment building within one half-mile of Loureiro’s Brookline home on the night of the professor’s murder. That same night, he was captured on camera entering the storage facility wearing the same clothing as seen in the previous video.

Despite the connections Valente has to both Loureiro and Brown, officials say the motive for both cases remains under investigation.

"Why Brown? I think that is a mystery," Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a press conference Thursday night. "I don't think we have any idea why now, or why Brown, why these students, why this classroom. That is really unknown to us."

Foley expressed gratitude to the FBI, Massachusetts and Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police, Brookline Police, and Brown University Police for their contributions to the investigation. She added that the car was a main piece of evidence that tied Valente to both crimes.

The Brookline Shooting

Loureiro was found suffering from gunshot wounds Monday after police responded to his apartment at 9 Gibbs St. at approximately 8:30 p.m.

After hearing what sounded like numerous shots, Loureiro’s neighbor Louise Cohen reportedly opened her door and found the professor lying on his back in the building’s shared foyer with multiple gunshot wounds. She, along with others, called 911 immediately.

Loureiro was rushed to Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, where he later died from his injuries Tuesday morning. The Portugal native was a decorated professor of nuclear science and engineering. In 2024, he became the director of Plasma Science and Fusion Center Director, one of the university’s largest and most prominent labs.

Loureiro is survived by his wife, Ines, and their three children. His family was reportedly home at the time of his killing.

See Also:

Who Was Nuno Loureiro?

MIT Working To Support Community In Aftermath Of Professor's Murder

Mass Shooter Eyed Suspect In MIT Prof's Slaying Dead By Suicide

MIT Professor Killed In Brookline Home