Authorities are investigating a possible connection between a mass shooting at Brown University last weekend and the murder of an MIT professor near Boston, according to sources familiar with the matter. The attack at Brown on Saturday killed two students and wounded nine others in an engineering building, while MIT physicist Nuno FG Loureiro was fatally shot in his Brookline home on Monday night.
Investigators have identified a person of interest in both cases and are actively seeking that individual, two sources said. The FBI had previously stated it knew of no links between the incidents, but the new developments suggest a potential connection. The attacker at Brown remains at large, and authorities have released video footage showing a masked individual matching witnesses' descriptions near the campus.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley acknowledged the city is facing a “scary time” as the search continues. “We are doing everything we can to reassure folks, to provide comfort,” he said. The shooter is described as about 5ft 8in, tall and stocky, with motives still unknown. Investigators believe the attacker may have cased the scene beforehand and are urging the public to check any relevant footage.
Loureiro, 47, was a renowned physicist and fusion scientist who joined MIT in 2016 and led its Plasma Science and Fusion Center. He was married and had earned his doctorate in London before moving to the US. The university described him as a key figure in advancing clean energy research.
Retired FBI agent Katherine Schweit noted that while it is rare for perpetrators of such high-profile attacks to evade capture, searches can take time. “The best hope for solutions is going to come from the public,” she said. Authorities continue to press for information as frustration mounts in Providence over the lack of an arrest.
