The Brown University and MIT shootings were linked to a single suspect who had past ties to both institutions. Two Brown students were killed and nine others wounded inside Barus and Holley; critics have noted an apparent absence of interior surveillance footage. Two days later the suspect is accused of killing MIT professor Nuno Loureiro in Brookline; investigators later found the suspect dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. The incidents have prompted renewed debate about campus openness, surveillance and emergency preparedness.
Brown, MIT Shootings Linked to One Suspect Raise New Questions About Campus Security
Providence Police officers head into the Barus and Holley building on the campus of Brown University on Dec. 16, 2025.
Two fatal shootings at elite U.S. universities within roughly 50 miles of each other have been linked to a single suspect, renewing debate over how open campuses should balance accessibility with safety. Authorities say the same man who killed two students and wounded nine at Brown University later traveled to Brookline, Massachusetts, and fatally shot a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor.
Split image showing Brown University victims Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, alongside MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, who was killed.
Timeline Of Events
According to law enforcement briefings and public reports:
The Brookline apartment building where MIT professor Nuno F. G. Loureiro was shot earlier this week.
- At Brown University, two students — Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov — were killed and nine others were wounded in a shooting inside the Barus and Holley building.
- The suspect, identified by authorities as Neves-Valente, left the scene on foot and later drove to the Boston area.
- Two days after the Brown attack, investigators say Neves-Valente shot and killed MIT professor Nuno Loureiro in his Brookline apartment.
- Authorities later found the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators say he briefly attended Brown in 2000–2001 and earlier studied at a university in Portugal where Loureiro earned his undergraduate degree.
Security Questions And Criticism
Brown has faced criticism for the apparent lack of interior surveillance footage from Barus and Holley. Home security video from a nearby residence showed the shooter leaving campus on foot and passing campus officers minutes after the attack, but investigators say no recording from inside the building captured the attacker.
Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his "American Comeback Tour" when he was shot in the neck and killed.
Critics and some law-enforcement veterans have questioned Brown's communications after the shootings, noting confusing press briefings and the temporary removal of several articles from the university website, which fueled online speculation.
People run after a shot was fired during an appearance by Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah.
Expert Analysis
'By and large, American universities are completely open,' said David Katz, a former DEA agent and CEO of Global Security Group. Katz and other experts emphasized that many academic campuses are intentionally accessible and that openness creates security challenges.
Former FBI agent Greg Rogers and retired NYPD sergeant Joseph Giacalone urged a national conversation about campus safety. They cautioned, however, that adding cameras and officers is not a universal solution; some forms of targeted violence can be difficult to prevent entirely.
New York Police Department officers detain dozens of pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University after they barricaded themselves at the Hamilton Hall building near Gaza Solidarity Encampment earlier in New York on April 30, 2024.
Broader Context
The Brown and MIT shootings join a string of campus attacks and violent incidents this year, including alleged shootings at Florida State University and Elizabeth City State University, the fatal attack on Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, and shootings at Kentucky State University. These events have intensified debate about how colleges should respond to threats while maintaining an open academic environment.
What Comes Next
University leaders, campus police, and public-safety experts are likely to reassess surveillance, training and emergency response protocols. Brown President Christina Paxson has said the university searched institutional records and found no indication of concerning conduct during the suspect's brief enrollment. Authorities continue to investigate motive and connections.
The shootings have revived calls for a careful, national discussion on how campuses can better protect students, faculty and staff without unduly restricting the open access central to university life.
