A person of interest in the fatal shooting last weekend at Brown University and earlier this week at MIT was found dead in a storage unit in New Hampshire, and later identified, authorities said.
“Tonight our Providence neighbors can breathe a little easier,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said during a Thursday night news conference.
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez identified the man as Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and former PhD candidate in physics Brown student who withdrew from the program in 2003 after he went on a leave of absence.
Chief Perez said the suspect died from suicide on Thursday night.
Rhode Island attorney general Peter Neronha said Valente was found dead with a satchel and two firearms.
Federal officials in a news statement said they could confirm the death of the “Brown University and MIT professor shooter,” adding “there’s no longer a threat to the public.”
“We got him,” said Ted Docks, special agent in charge of FBI Boston.
Earlier Thursday, police said they were investigating whether the two shootings were connected.
Two people were killed and nine others were wounded in the Saturday night attack at the Ivy League university. MIT professor Nuno F. Loureiro was killed Monday night in Brookline, Mass.
Neronha said there was still more to learn about possible motives.
“I think there’s a lot of unknowns with respect to motive,” he said.
