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.
Crime
Justice Department charges Kenya Chapman accused of selling gun to Old Dominion University shooter Mohamed Bailor Jalloh
Norfolk, Virginia — Federal prosecutors have charged a Virginia man in connection with the firearm used in Thursday’s deadly shooting at Old Dominion University, according to an announcement from the United States Department of Justice.
Authorities say Kenya Chapman has been charged for allegedly selling a handgun to Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, the suspect in the campus shooting that left one person dead and two others injured.
Investigators state that Jalloh was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior felony conviction related to attempting to assist the extremist group Islamic State.
According to federal court documents, Chapman told investigators he had stolen the firearm from a vehicle in Newport News approximately one year before the attack. Chapman later sold the weapon to Jalloh after meeting him at work.
In interviews with federal agents, Chapman said Jalloh claimed he needed the firearm for personal protection while working as a delivery driver. Chapman acknowledged that he was aware Jalloh had previously spent time in prison but said he did not know that Jalloh had a felony conviction that barred him from legally possessing a gun.
Chapman reportedly told investigators that he had no knowledge or expectation that Jalloh intended to carry out a violent attack.
Earlier Friday, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the handgun used in the shooting had an obliterated serial number, a factor that could complicate efforts to trace the weapon’s origin.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation, said forensic specialists may attempt to restore or re-surface the serial number in order to determine the firearm’s history and chain of possession.
Jalloh, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Sierra Leone, was previously convicted in 2016 for attempting to provide assistance to the Islamic State extremist group. He later served a prison sentence of 11 years in federal custody.
According to officials familiar with the case, Jalloh was released from federal prison in December 2024 and placed on supervised release, a form of post-incarceration monitoring comparable to probation.
Sources told The Associated Press that Jalloh was released approximately two and a half years earlier than his full sentence after completing a drug treatment program that can allow certain inmates to reduce their prison time. However, it remains unclear how he qualified for the program, as individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses are typically ineligible for many sentence-reduction programs.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has not yet provided additional details regarding Jalloh’s incarceration or eligibility for early release.
The shooting occurred Thursday morning inside Constant Hall, where an Army ROTC class was being held.
Authorities say Jalloh entered the classroom and began firing after shouting a phrase in Arabic commonly translated as “God is greatest.” During the attack, one person was killed and two others were wounded.
According to officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, ROTC students present in the classroom confronted and subdued the attacker, ultimately preventing further casualties.
The FBI noted that the students’ actions were instrumental in stopping the violence. Authorities have not publicly detailed exactly how the students subdued the suspect, but officials confirmed he was not shot.
Sentara Health later reported that one of the injured victims, who had initially been hospitalized in critical condition, has since been upgraded to fair condition, while another victim was treated and released.
Garrett Shelton said during a briefing that fewer than 10 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls reporting gunfire and the moment responding officers determined the shooter was dead.
Authorities continue to investigate the incident and are reviewing evidence related to Jalloh’s activities prior to the attack.
Dominique Evans stated that investigators are asking members of the public to come forward with any information that could assist the investigation, emphasizing that even small details could be important.
The victim killed in the shooting was identified as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, a 42-year-old Army ROTC instructor from Chesapeake.
Shah, a retired U.S. Army officer and helicopter pilot who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Eastern Europe, had returned to his alma mater in 2022 to help lead the Army ROTC program.
In a message to the university community, Brian Hemphill described Shah as a dedicated leader and mentor.
“Above all else, Lt. Col. Shah embodied what it means to be a devoted family man, a revered leader, and a heroic protector even in his final moments,” Hemphill said.
Shah is survived by his spouse and a child.
Friends and former classmates gathered on campus Friday to honor Shah’s memory. One of his close friends, Eddie Flack, visited the lawn near the flagpoles across from Constant Hall, where he poured out a bottle of whiskey in tribute.
Flack said the two had developed a close friendship while attending Old Dominion University together.
Through tears, he expressed his grief and called for greater compassion in society, saying the world needs more understanding and less hatred.
The investigation remains active as federal, state, and local authorities continue to review evidence, interview witnesses, and examine how Jalloh obtained the firearm despite his status as a convicted felon barred from possessing weapons.
Officials say additional charges could be possible as investigators work to establish the full sequence of events leading up to the shooting.