Former classmates describe Claudio Neves Valente, the 48-year-old suspect in a Brown University shooting that also killed an MIT professor, as intellectually gifted but argumentative and socially awkward. He studied at Portugal's Instituto Superior Técnico with the alleged victim between 1995 and 2000 and later enrolled at Brown in 2000 but left after one year. Police say he was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and that he returned to the U.S. in 2017; his recent activities remain unclear.
Classmates Remember Accused Brown Shooter As Brilliant but Confrontational — Peers Struggle To Explain Violence
Claudio Valente, the suspect in Brown University shooting, at a rental car place in Boston, Massachusetts. - Providence Police Department
As investigators search for a motive in the mass shooting at Brown University that also claimed the life of an MIT professor, former classmates of the accused assailant described him as intellectually gifted yet socially abrasive and confrontational.
Authorities identified the suspect as Claudio Neves Valente, 48, who was found dead Thursday of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police. Neves Valente and the alleged victim, MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, previously studied together in Portugal.
Academic Background and Early Reputation
Neves Valente attended Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon with Loureiro between 1995 and 2000, where he studied Technological Physics Engineering. Classmates remember him as one of the strongest students academically but also as someone who frequently picked arguments with peers.
“Claudio was obviously one of the best, but in class he had a great need to stand out and show that he was better than the rest,” classmate Felipe Moura wrote on Facebook.
Former classmates described him as highly theoretical and intellectually impressive, but often impatient, argumentative and, at times, socially awkward.
Time at Brown and Later Years
Neves Valente enrolled as a graduate student in physics at Brown University in 2000 but left after one year without completing the program. Classmates say he continued to clash with fellow PhD students and expressed frustration with courses and living conditions.
An archived Brown page attributed to Neves Valente indicates he left “permanently,” including a cryptic line: “The best liar is he who is able to fool himself. They are everywhere, but sometimes proliferate in the most unexpected places.”
A student directory from the period lists him as assigned to room 122 in the Barus and Holley engineering building; police say the shooting occurred in room 166 of that same building.
Details about Neves Valente’s activities after leaving Brown are incomplete. Classmates said he may have returned to Portugal to work for an internet provider. Police say he obtained a visa and returned to the U.S. in 2017; his last known address was in Miami. Authorities have not publicly detailed his employment history in recent years.
Reactions From Those Who Knew Him
Friends and former classmates expressed shock and disbelief. Many emphasized the contrast between his academic talent and the alleged violence.
“I never expected he would be capable of such a thing,” Moura wrote.
Investigations are ongoing, and authorities have not released a motive. Several former classmates said they are trying to reconcile the person they knew with the reports of the shootings.
Contributors: This report includes contributions from multiple reporters. Police and university officials provided information cited in news reports.
