In the past week, New England has been pulled into tragic national headlines by the murderous crimes of a single man. 

Claudio Manuel Neves Valente opened fire at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Sunday, December 13th, killing two students and wounding nine others.

Two days later, on the 15th, Nuno Loureiro, a “brilliant” physics professor at MIT, was repeatedly shot in his own home in Brookline, Massachusetts, eventually succumbing to his wounds. 

The FBI and local police promptly launched a five-day manhunt in search of the then-unknown gunman, who was, concerningly, still “at large” in the days after the three armed murders. Searching for assistance, authorities soon released videos and photographs of the suspect to the public.

The investigation’s breakthrough came from an unlikely source: a Reddit thread. Posted by a Brown student, he discussed his earlier encounter with a suspicious man behaving strangely, who repeatedly locked and unlocked his car. The witness’s description of a gray Nissan with Florida plates “blew this case wide open,” per Attorney General Peter Neronha. Police were then able to track the rental’s movements to Salem, New Hampshire.

On December 18th, two days after the shooting, it was there at a local storage facility that police concluded Valente had killed himself.

Junior Martin Blanch remarked on the shocking role of social media in the manhunt, stating, “It’s amazing how the apps I use regularly have become pivotal evidence in national investigations.”

Claudio Valente was born in Portugal, finishing first in his class ahead of Professor Loureiro, and then enrolling in Brown University. The 48-year-old had graduated from high school and withdrawn from college with great expectations, though his professional accomplishments remain unclear. His college career was limited to a year, as he dropped out early due to frustration with the ease of his courses.

The violent incidents created skepticism surrounding the immigrant visa program, through which Valente was awarded citizenship. President Trump cited such security concerns as a reason for suspending the program in the days after the tragedy.

Hingham High School student Chase Burns voiced his own concerns about the shooting, stating, “Brown University is especially close to home; I know students committed there, and I have played sports there myself. To see it and MIT make national headlines for shootings is deeply disturbing.”