Daijiworld Media Network - New York

New York, Dec 19: The man suspected of carrying out a deadly shooting at Brown University and the killing of a senior scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has died by suicide, bringing an end to a multi-state manhunt that had shaken elite academic campuses across the United States, officials said.

The suspect was identified as Claudio Valente, a 48-year-old former student of Brown University originally from Portugal. He was found dead inside a storage facility in New Hampshire as law enforcement agencies closed in on him, according to Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez. The discovery followed an intense investigation spanning Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Valente was accused of opening fire on Saturday at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, killing two students and injuring nine others at the School of Engineering as students were preparing for final examinations. The attack triggered panic on campus and prompted heightened security at universities nationwide.

Two days later, on Monday night, Nuno Loureiro, director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was shot dead at his residence in Brookline, Massachusetts. Loureiro, like Valente, was a native of Portugal.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said investigators have yet to determine a clear motive behind the attacks, describing it as a “mystery.” However, officials noted potential links between the suspect and the MIT victim. Valente had previously pursued a master’s and doctoral degree in physics at Brown before dropping out in 2001, and he and Loureiro had studied together earlier at a university in Portugal.

The investigation faced early confusion after FBI director Kash Patel announced on Sunday that a suspect had been arrested, only for authorities to later rule that individual out. The case gained momentum when a man who had interacted with Valente contacted investigators after recognising himself and the suspect in surveillance images circulated by police.

The witness provided key details, including the license plate number of Valente’s rental vehicle, which ultimately led authorities to his location. Neronha said forensic evidence, including DNA, linked Valente to the Brown University shooting.

At a separate press conference in Boston, Massachusetts federal prosecutor Leah Foley said investigators were able to connect Valente to both crimes through evidence related to his vehicle.

While the suspect’s death closes the immediate investigation, officials said key questions surrounding the motive behind the violent attacks remain unanswered.