The suspect in the deadly shooting at Brown University has been identified as Claudio Valente, a 48-year-old former Brown University student, according to authorities. Officials confirmed Thursday night that Valente was found dead after taking his own life, bringing a tragic end to a case that shocked the university community and reignited national concerns around campus safety.
Identity of the suspect
Providence Police Chief Oscar L. Perez Jr. confirmed during a late-night news conference that Claudio Valente was the individual suspected in the Brown University shooting. Valente was a Portuguese national and had previously been enrolled at Brown University.
Brown University President Christina Hull Paxson later clarified that Valente was a former student who had been enrolled in the university’s Master of Science–PhD program, studying physics. According to Paxson, Valente attended Brown from September 2000 to April 2001, when he took a leave of absence, before formally withdrawing from the university in July 2003.
During his time at Brown, Valente was enrolled exclusively in physics courses. Paxson noted that the majority of these classes would have taken place in the Barus & Holley engineering and physics building — the same building where the shooting occurred.
Discovery of the suspect’s body
Authorities located Valente in Salem, New Hampshire, after tracking a vehicle believed to be connected to him. Earlier in the day, law enforcement had swarmed the area after discovering an abandoned car bearing a license plate linked to the suspect.
Shortly afterward, officials confirmed that Valente had been found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Four law enforcement officials had earlier indicated to media outlets that the suspect was no longer alive, a detail later formally confirmed by Providence police.
Details of the Brown University Shooting
The shooting occurred on Saturday at Brown University and resulted in two students being killed and nine others injured. The incident sent the campus into lockdown and triggered a large-scale law enforcement response. Brown University officials have since expressed condolences to the victims’ families and stated that they are cooperating fully with investigators.
The attack is now counted among the growing number of school shootings in the United States, with at least 75 such incidents reported nationwide this year, according to tracking data referenced by authorities.
