Investigators probing a multi-day shooting spree that left two Brown University students and an acclaimed MIT physicist dead now believe the alleged gunman was driven by a bitter, decades-old resentment over his own failed scientific ambitions.
A Brilliant but Bitter Past
Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, was identified by authorities as the suspect in the tragic attacks. In his youth in Portugal, Valente was known as a brilliant, if egotistical, physicist who won national science competitions. He graduated from Portugal's top scientific university, Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), and moved to the United States in 2000 seeking a new challenge.
However, his time at Brown University in the early 2000s proved to be a turning point. Former associates describe Valente as an ego-maniac who believed the Ivy League institution was beneath him. He reportedly found the classes underwhelming and dropped out after just several months.
Scott Watson, a physics professor at Syracuse University who befriended Valente at Brown, recalled him as a complicated and unhappy student. "He could be kind and gentle, though he often became frustrated — sometimes angry — about courses, professors, and living conditions," Watson told the Boston Globe.
Paths Cross with a Future Victim
A critical connection has emerged in the investigation. Valente is believed to have crossed paths with one of his alleged victims, MIT physicist Nuno F.G. Loureiro, over two decades ago when both studied at IST in Lisbon. While Loureiro's career flourished, leading to acclaim for his work in nuclear physics at institutions including MIT, Valente's scientific promise faded.
Law enforcement officials state that Valente arrived in the US on an F-1 student visa in 2000 and became a lawful permanent resident in 2017. His academic journey, which included winning a place to study physics in Australia after a national Olympiad, ultimately did not lead to the success he envisioned.
Another former associate, Kamran Diba, now a professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, remembered Valente as a spiteful student. "It’s sad and upsetting the hate this person kept for so many years," Diba said.
A Tragic Spree and a Nationwide Manhunt
The violence unfolded over several days last week. Authorities allege that on Monday, Valente shot and killed Loureiro in his Boston home. Just two days prior, he is accused of opening fire in a classroom at Brown University in Providence, killing two students and injuring nine others.
A massive, five-day manhunt involving hundreds of agents from the FBI and ATF ensued. Valente was tracked via a rented grey Nissan car linked to both shooting scenes. The search ended on Thursday night when he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a storage container in New Hampshire.
Current Brown University President Christina Paxson confirmed in an email that no current faculty members could recall Valente, underscoring how long he had harboured his grievances.
Criminologist James Alan Fox noted that Valente's story fits a known pattern, where once-promising individuals turn violent after failing to meet their own high expectations. "Mass shooters tend to see themselves as victims — victims of injustice... They want to punish people who they hold responsible for their misery," Fox explained.
The community at Brown University has been left mourning the loss of students Mukhammad Aziz Amurzokov and Ella Cook, while the scientific world grieves the death of a respected colleague in Nuno Loureiro.
