The United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah B. Foley held a press conference Thursday night, revealing new details into the deadly shootings of both two Brown University students on Saturday and MIT nuclear physicist Nuno F.G. Loureiro on Monday in Brookline, Massachusetts.Authorities identified the shooter as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national from Miami. Officials said he was born in Torres Novas, Santarem, Portugal and was a legal permanent resident of the United States.While a motive has yet to be determined, investigators said Loureiro and Neves Valente were classmates at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Portugal between 1995 and 2000.The institute confirms that Neves Valente was a student at Técnico, studying for a degree in Engineering Physics during that time.An institute spokesperson shared that Neves Valente served was a “monitor” (a student who provides support in practical classes during his studies) until 2000 and he left the school after his contract ended.In a statement, The Instituto Superior Técnico and the IPFN – Instituto de Plasmas e FusãoNuclear, expressed their condolences for Loureiro and his family.”His friends and colleagues at IPFN and Técnico, some of whom continued tocollaborate with Nuno until today, are deeply saddened by his untimely passing.We remember a brilliant colleague, with whom it was a scientific and personalpleasure to collaborate,” the statement read. “The Instituto Superior Técnico and the IPFN – Institute of Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion express their deepest respect for the pain of Nuno Loureiro’s family and friends, and will not comment on ongoing police investigations or legal matters.”It’s not clear if the two men remained in touch.”We are grateful to all who played a part in identifying and tracking down the suspect in the killing of Prof. Loureiro. Our community continues to mourn and remember Nuno — an incredible scientist, colleague, mentor and friend. Our thoughts are also with the Brown University community, which suffered so much loss this week,” MIT said in a statement.Neves Valente was a PhD student at Brown University from 2000 until 2001 and only studied physics, according to a university spokesperson. He took a leave of absence from the Ivy League school in April 2001 before officially unenrolling in 2003.While the motive remains unclear, surveillance video from Loureiro’s Brookline neighborhood allegedly showed the gunman in the area days before the deadly shooting, according to Foley.Video footage showed Neves Valente entering an apartment building near Loureiro’s on Monday. About an hour later, he was seen entering the New Hampshire storage facility where he was later found dead, Foley said.Hours later, surveillance video from a storage unit facility in Salem, New Hampshire showed the gunman wearing the same thing that was caught on the Brookline cameras, according to Foley.Neves Valente was found dead inside the storage facility on Thursday, Dec. 18. Authorities said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.Bruno Soares Goncalves, a friend of Loureiro, said he will be deeply missed.”He was a very funny guy to be around, very intelligent humor, maybe from the time he lived in England, he developed this kind of humor,” Goncalves said. “He’s someone who enjoyed being near the students, someone that loved to be in front of the blackboard, and drawing equations.”Loureiro, who was married, grew up in Viseu, in central Portugal, and studied in Lisbon before earning a doctorate in London, according to MIT. He was a researcher at an institute for nuclear fusion in Lisbon before joining MIT, it said.
The United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah B. Foley held a press conference Thursday night, revealing new details into the deadly shootings of both two Brown University students on Saturday and MIT nuclear physicist Nuno F.G. Loureiro on Monday in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Authorities identified the shooter as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national from Miami. Officials said he was born in Torres Novas, Santarem, Portugal and was a legal permanent resident of the United States.
While a motive has yet to be determined, investigators said Loureiro and Neves Valente were classmates at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Portugal between 1995 and 2000.
The institute confirms that Neves Valente was a student at Técnico, studying for a degree in Engineering Physics during that time.
An institute spokesperson shared that Neves Valente served was a “monitor” (a student who provides support in practical classes during his studies) until 2000 and he left the school after his contract ended.
In a statement, The Instituto Superior Técnico and the IPFN – Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão
Nuclear, expressed their condolences for Loureiro and his family.
“His friends and colleagues at IPFN and Técnico, some of whom continued to
collaborate with Nuno until today, are deeply saddened by his untimely passing.
We remember a brilliant colleague, with whom it was a scientific and personal
pleasure to collaborate,” the statement read. “The Instituto Superior Técnico and the IPFN – Institute of Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion express their deepest respect for the pain of Nuno Loureiro’s family and friends, and will not comment on ongoing police investigations or legal matters.”
It’s not clear if the two men remained in touch.
“We are grateful to all who played a part in identifying and tracking down the suspect in the killing of Prof. Loureiro. Our community continues to mourn and remember Nuno — an incredible scientist, colleague, mentor and friend. Our thoughts are also with the Brown University community, which suffered so much loss this week,” MIT said in a statement.
Neves Valente was a PhD student at Brown University from 2000 until 2001 and only studied physics, according to a university spokesperson. He took a leave of absence from the Ivy League school in April 2001 before officially unenrolling in 2003.
While the motive remains unclear, surveillance video from Loureiro’s Brookline neighborhood allegedly showed the gunman in the area days before the deadly shooting, according to Foley.
Video footage showed Neves Valente entering an apartment building near Loureiro’s on Monday. About an hour later, he was seen entering the New Hampshire storage facility where he was later found dead, Foley said.
Hours later, surveillance video from a storage unit facility in Salem, New Hampshire showed the gunman wearing the same thing that was caught on the Brookline cameras, according to Foley.
Neves Valente was found dead inside the storage facility on Thursday, Dec. 18. Authorities said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Bruno Soares Goncalves, a friend of Loureiro, said he will be deeply missed.
“He was a very funny guy to be around, very intelligent humor, maybe from the time he lived in England, he developed this kind of humor,” Goncalves said. “He’s someone who enjoyed being near the students, someone that loved to be in front of the blackboard, and drawing equations.”
Loureiro, who was married, grew up in Viseu, in central Portugal, and studied in Lisbon before earning a doctorate in London, according to MIT. He was a researcher at an institute for nuclear fusion in Lisbon before joining MIT, it said.