Post by : Meena Ariff

Authorities have identified Claudio Neves Valente, the individual implicated in last week’s tragic shooting at Brown University, as deceased in Salem, New Hampshire. Initial investigations suggest he died from a self-inflicted gunshot, concluding a tense six-day multi-state search.

A Portuguese citizen, Valente arrived in the U.S. in 2017 through the diversity visa lottery, also known as the green card lottery, later gaining permanent residency. Following the incident, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a temporary suspension of the diversity visa program due to concerns over public safety and associated risks.

Law enforcement officials have linked Valente to the murder of Nuno Loureiro, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The 47-year-old educator was fatally shot at his residence in Brookline, Massachusetts, shortly before the Brown University shooting. Both men were alumni of the same university in Portugal during the late 1990s, and investigators utilized CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts to associate the two incidents. Surveillance images showed the suspect’s car near both locations, aiding authorities in establishing a connection.

The Brown University shooting took place on December 13 amid final exams in the engineering building. The attack resulted in the deaths of two students: 19-year-old Ella Cook from Alabama and 18-year-old Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek-American just starting his educational journey at the university. Nine others sustained injuries as shots were fired in a packed classroom. At the time, university officials confirmed that Valente had no enrollment or formal ties to Brown University.

At the site of Valente's demise, police recovered two firearms along with a satchel. Investigators also gathered evidence from a nearby vehicle linked to the shooting in Providence. Despite confirming his connections to both murders, authorities have not disclosed any motive for these violent occurrences.

The appalling incidents at Brown University and the death of Professor Loureiro have sparked renewed discussions about the diversity visa lottery, which permits individuals from countries with low immigration rates to apply for a U.S. green card via random selection. In the aftermath, officials stressed the necessity of reviewing immigration regulations to safeguard public safety while continuing to facilitate legal immigration.

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