Key Takeaways
- A shooting at Brown University on December 13 resulted in the deaths of two students and injured nine others.
- The shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, was later found dead in a storage locker in New Hampshire in what officials believe was a suicide.
- Dispatch logs from the Providence police and fire departments show a flurry of reports beginning at 4:06 p.m. and continuing late into the evening as the campus remained on lockdown for hours.
- The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, with authorities still unclear as to why Neves Valente targeted the school.
Introduction to the Shooting
The shooting at Brown University on December 13 was a tragic event that resulted in the loss of two lives and injured nine others. The incident began at 4:06 p.m. when a dispatcher reported a call classified as a "shooting" within seconds, according to the logs. Over the next 30 seconds, the incident location was updated multiple times, and by 4:11:13, the dispatch logs included reports that two males had been shot, one in the shoulder and the other in the abdomen. As the situation unfolded, authorities worked to secure the scene and identify the suspect.
The Initial Response
The initial response to the shooting was swift, with law enforcement officers and first responders rushing to the scene. At 4:12:02, a dispatcher recorded a report of a suspect wearing all black with a mask, and 13 seconds later, another dispatcher logged a similar description. The logs also show police clearing the scene, finding roughly 200 students inside a single room and others hiding alone in bathrooms. As the search for the suspect continued, authorities worked to evacuate the students and provide medical attention to those injured. By 4:19:19, a caller reported a woman outside the library who had been shot and needed medical attention, and two minutes later, another caller reported what appeared to be the same woman shot in the leg outside the library.
The Search for the Suspect
As the hours passed, authorities continued to search for the suspect, with dispatch logs showing reports of a possible suspect inside a building at 4:22 p.m. However, less than two minutes later, the logs indicated that there was "no suspect yet." The search continued, with authorities conducting secondary searches at the school and eventually shifting their focus to identifying and locating the suspect. A person of interest was detained the next morning but was released later that day after Rhode Island officials said evidence pointed elsewhere. It wasn’t until five days after the shooting that a judge signed an arrest warrant for Claudio Manuel Neves Valente in connection with the attack.
The Suspect and Motive
Neves Valente, a native of Portugal, had attended Brown University from August 2000 to spring 2001 on a student visa in the physics Ph.D. program. He had requested a leave of absence from the school in 2001 and eventually withdrew in 2003, according to a Providence police affidavit. Authorities are still unclear as to why Neves Valente targeted the school, with Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha stating, "Why Brown? I think that is a mystery. 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." The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and authorities continue to work to determine the motive behind the attack.
Aftermath and Investigation
The shooting at Brown University had a significant impact on the community, with the campus remaining on lockdown for hours after the incident. The shelter-in-place order was not lifted until the next morning, and students were eventually evacuated and taken to a reunification center. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, with authorities working to piece together the events of that day and determine the motive behind the attack. The incident has raised questions about campus safety and the need for increased security measures to prevent such tragedies in the future. As the investigation continues, authorities are working to provide support to the victims and their families, as well as to the broader community affected by the shooting.
