Crime
Brown University Shooting Suspect Identified as 48-year-old Cláudio Manuel Neves-Valente
Authorities have identified the suspect connected to both the Brown University mass shooting in Rhode Island and the fatal shooting of MIT professor Nuno F. G. Loureiro in Massachusetts as Cláudio Manuel Neves-Valente, 48, according to law enforcement sources.
Investigators say Neves-Valente was found deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside an Extra Space Storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, bringing the multistate manhunt to an end.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that the suspect had a storage unit registered in his name at the same facility where an abandoned vehicle linked to the investigation was previously located.
Prior to the discovery of his body, authorities had not entered the unit. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Neves-Valente entering the storage complex, though it was initially unclear whether he exited before being found deceased.
Sources further stated that Neves-Valente was not a U.S. citizen, but a lawful permanent resident originally from Portugal.
Investigators noted that the MIT professor who was killed, Dr. Loureiro, was also from Portugal, though officials have not publicly stated whether that factored into the motive. Authorities have cautioned that the investigation into motive remains ongoing.
The case involved extensive coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, particularly in the area near the Salem, New Hampshire–Methuen, Massachusetts border.
During the active search, Methuen police issued public alerts urging residents to report anyone who appeared out of place or was behaving suspiciously, while emphasizing that there was no known threat to the general public.
Investigators determined that the suspect used a vehicle connected to both crimes. According to officials briefed on the investigation, the vehicle was the same make and model in each case but was observed with different license plates.
A license plate provided by a witness in the Brown University shooting led authorities to trace the vehicle’s ownership and usage history, ultimately linking it to the homicide of Dr. Loureiro in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Law enforcement later located the vehicle in Salem after a license plate reader flagged one of the associated plates, prompting a significant police response in the area. Officials said the suspect appeared to have employed deliberate countermeasures to evade detection, including swapping license plates across jurisdictions and taking steps to limit identification through surveillance cameras and facial recognition technology.
The Brown University shooting occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on Saturday, when a masked gunman dressed in black entered a lecture hall inside the Barus and Holley Science Building, shouted unintelligibly, and opened fire on students gathered for a final exam review session.
Two students were killed—MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, 18, of Virginia, and Ella Cook, 19, a sophomore from Alabama. Nine others were injured, six of whom remained hospitalized in stable condition as of the last update.
The attack prompted a massive law enforcement response involving approximately 400 officers, who conducted room-to-room searches across campus and surrounding neighborhoods.
Despite the extensive operation, the shooter initially escaped. A 24-year-old man was briefly detained as a person of interest but was later released after forensic testing cleared him.
Separately, authorities in Brookline, Massachusetts, responded Monday night to the home of Dr. Nuno F. G. Loureiro, an MIT professor, who had been shot and later died from his injuries early Tuesday morning.
While officials initially stated there appeared to be no connection between the two cases, investigators later determined that both incidents were linked through the same suspect and vehicle.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with state and local agencies, continues to review evidence and reconstruct the suspect’s movements leading up to both attacks.
Officials have indicated that additional details may be released once the investigation is formally concluded.
Orlando, Fla. — Family and friends of 33-year-old Julien Emmanuel Cruz are seeking answers and accountability following his fatal shooting outside a popular LGBTQ+ nightclub early Sunday morning.
According to the Orlando Police Department, officers responded at approximately 2:31 a.m. on February 22, 2026, to the 1900 block of North Orange Avenue, just north of Lake Ivanhoe, in reference to a reported shooting.
Upon arrival, officers located Cruz suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Authorities confirmed Cruz was born May 18, 1992.
Detectives determined that prior to the shooting, Cruz and the suspect were involved in a verbal and physical altercation on the sidewalk outside the nightclub district. Investigators say that during the dispute, the suspect retrieved a firearm from his vehicle and shot Cruz.
The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle, which patrol officers later located in the 200 block of East New Hampshire Avenue, approximately two blocks from where the shooting occurred.
Police subsequently arrested 37-year-old Jean Gabriel Borja Gil De La Madr (DOB: October 29, 1988). He has been charged with Second Degree Murder with a Firearm. Authorities confirmed this case marks the third homicide in Orlando in 2026.
Cruz’s father, Anthony Cruz, said his son and his partner had been at Savoy Orlando enjoying the evening before the violence unfolded.
According to the family, as the couple exited the club after closing time, a vehicle sped past them. Cruz’s partner allegedly yelled toward the occupants of the vehicle, prompting the car to stop. A physical altercation then reportedly began between Cruz’s partner and one of the individuals from the vehicle.
“When they fought, my son saw that was happening. My son went to intervene, and when he intervened, another guy got out of the car, and he got shot,” Anthony Cruz said. “My son didn’t deserve what happened. All I have left is a shirt — a shirt with a bullet hole.”
While police have charged Borja Gil De La Madr, Cruz’s family maintains that another individual may have been directly responsible for pulling the trigger. Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether additional suspects are being sought.
A small memorial has formed across from the nightclub, where members of the community have gathered to honor Cruz’s memory.
Joshua Cooper, owner of Savoy Orlando, said the tragedy has deeply impacted the LGBTQ+ community, even though the shooting occurred off the club’s property.
“I didn’t know the victim, but from everything I’ve been told, I wish I had,” Cooper said. “He seemed like a great kid. Seeing a family that is so heartbroken and so supportive of this community says so much.”
The Orlando Police Department has not released additional information regarding potential additional suspects. Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the altercation and shooting.
Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Orlando Police Department or Crimeline.
The investigation remains active.