Key Takeaways:
- Law enforcement is investigating possible connections between the mass shooting at Brown University and the targeted killing of an MIT professor two days later.
- A suspect is being sought in the mass shooting, and a car believed to have been rented by the suspect is being searched for.
- An arrest warrant has been issued for a suspect in the Brown shooting.
- Two students were killed and nine more were wounded in the Brown University shooting.
- The MIT professor, Nuno Loureiro, was shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, and died the next day.
Introduction to the Investigation
The investigation into the mass shooting at Brown University and the targeted killing of an MIT professor is ongoing, with law enforcement searching for a suspect and a car believed to have been rented by the individual. According to sources, the rented vehicle is the same make and model as a car that was detected in the vicinity of the MIT professor’s apartment, leading investigators to explore possible connections between the two incidents. The MIT professor, Nuno Loureiro, was shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, and died the next day, while two students were killed and nine more were wounded in the Brown University shooting.
The Brown University Shooting
The shooting at Brown University occurred on a Saturday afternoon inside a classroom in the school’s Barus & Holley engineering building during final exams. A male suspect managed to escape from the building, and in the hours and days that followed, police and the FBI released images and videos of a person of interest walking around a nearby neighborhood several hours before the first 911 calls reporting the shooting came in. The person in the images wore black clothing and a face mask, and none of the footage pictured him clearly. A video released on Tuesday, though blurry, was the clearest picture of the person of interest released so far, and appeared to be digitally enhanced. The two students killed in the shooting were identified as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek American freshman student.
The Investigation into the MIT Professor’s Death
Nuno Loureiro, who taught plasma physics at MIT and led its Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, and died the next day. Police are investigating his death as a homicide, and are exploring possible connections to the Brown University shooting. The fact that the rented vehicle believed to have been used by the suspect in the Brown shooting is the same make and model as a car detected in the vicinity of Loureiro’s apartment has led investigators to suspect a possible link between the two incidents. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person responsible for the shooting.
Analysis of the Footage
John Mulvaney, an FBI veteran of 26 years and the managing director of CBIZ Forensix Consulting Group, told CBS News Boston that the footage of the person of interest appeared to show him "casing the neighborhood." This suggests that the suspect may have been planning the attack in advance, and may have been familiar with the area. The fact that the footage was released several days after the shooting, and that it was digitally enhanced, suggests that investigators are using all available resources to identify the suspect and bring them to justice.
The Response from the University Community
The Brown University community is in shock and mourning following the shooting, with the university’s president, Christina H. Paxson, writing a letter to the community expressing her condolences to the families of the victims. "Both were brilliant and beloved — as members of our campus community, but even more by their friends and families," Paxson wrote. The university is offering support and counseling services to students and staff affected by the shooting, and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate the incident and prevent similar attacks in the future.
Conclusion and Next Steps
The investigation into the mass shooting at Brown University and the targeted killing of an MIT professor is ongoing, with law enforcement working to identify the suspect and bring them to justice. The possible connections between the two incidents are being explored, and the FBI is offering a reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person responsible. As the investigation continues, the university community is coming together to support each other and to mourn the loss of the two students who were killed in the shooting. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of campus safety and the need for vigilance in preventing similar attacks in the future.
