DOJ Confession Videos and Federal Review Raise Questions Over Brown’s Security After Mass Shooting
Federal prosecutors released translated confession videos from Claudio Manuel Neves‑Valente in which he says he planned the Brown University attack for semesters, expresses no remorse, denies mental‑illness or ideological motives and gives no clear rationale; investigators say he also killed MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro and was later found dead by suicide in a New Hampshire storage unit, with ballistics tying separate pistols to the two slayings. The disclosures have intensified scrutiny of Brown’s security and emergency response — prompting a Department of Education review, an external after‑action assessment, the campus public‑safety chief’s administrative leave and plans for more cameras, card access and other measures after criticism that limited surveillance, delayed alerts and reports that the suspect had been “casing” buildings hampered the response.
📌 Key Facts
- On Dec. 13 an active shooter attacked Brown University’s Barus & Holley engineering building shortly after 4 p.m.; two people (Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov) were killed, multiple others were wounded, and students sheltered in place while emergency response declared a mass‑casualty incident.
- MIT professor Nuno F.G. (Nuno Gomes) Loureiro, 47, director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center and a prominent fusion researcher, was shot at his Brookline home Dec. 16, taken to a hospital that night and died the following morning; MIT says no classified work was involved on campus.
- Authorities identified the suspect as 48‑year‑old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves‑Valente, a former Brown graduate student; he was found dead by suicide in a Salem, New Hampshire storage unit on Dec. 18, and an autopsy indicates he likely died two days earlier.
- Federal investigators recovered electronic devices and recorded confession videos from the storage unit; DOJ translations and transcripts show Neves‑Valente saying he planned the Brown attack for at least six semesters, denying mental illness, refusing to apologize, and giving no clear motive while acknowledging a prior acquaintance with Loureiro from Portugal.
- Forensic work by the ATF and FBI indicates two recovered 9mm pistols were used in the attacks—one tied to the Brown mass shooting and the other to the killing of MIT Professor Loureiro.
- The manhunt and identification were hampered by early investigative missteps (including a mistaken detention), poor-quality or insufficient surveillance video inside Barus & Holley, and lost critical hours; a homeless witness known as “John,” discovered via social media/Reddit tips, and a custodian’s prior reports that a suspicious man had been ‘casing’ the building were later important to the investigation.
- Brown University and federal authorities have launched reviews and changes: Brown placed its vice president/chief of public safety on leave, appointed an interim chief, retained outside counsel, announced an after‑action review and a campus security overhaul (more cameras, card access, blue‑light phones, panic buttons and increased staffing), and the U.S. Department of Education opened a program/Clery Act review.
- The campus community remains shaken as classes resume amid memorials and criticism over delayed emergency alerts, limited surveillance and perceived security failures; Brown’s board of trustees drew scrutiny for largely not commenting publicly.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
The Problem with Our Response to Mass Shootings
"A critique arguing that the Brown–MIT shooter’s confession undermines a simplistic mental‑illness framing and that policymakers and institutions should prioritize hard prevention measures, threat detection and accountability over reflexive mental‑health or symbolic responses."
🔬 Explanations (4)
Deeper context and explanatory frameworks for understanding this story
Phenomenon: Long-planned mass shootings motivated by revenge from past personal or professional grievances
Explanation: Mass murders often stem from direct interpersonal conflicts, where perpetrators seek revenge for perceived injustices such as academic or professional failures, with long-term planning enabled by access to firearms and lack of intervention mechanisms
Evidence: Analysis of 1725 worldwide mass murder cases shows that 23% involve direct interpersonal conflicts driven by revenge motives, often immediate but can fester over time, correlated with firearm availability in jurisdictions like the US
Alternative view: Some research emphasizes media contagion effects leading to copycat behaviors rather than personal revenge, or structural factors like economic inequality amplifying grievances
💡 This explanation shifts focus from unexplained randomness in coverage to underlying interpersonal histories and systemic enablers like gun access, complicating narratives that portray such acts as motiveless or solely due to mental illness
Phenomenon: Rapid spread of misinformation and baseless claims about shooters' identities or actions following mass shootings
Explanation: Social media platforms facilitate the quick dissemination of false information through algorithms that amplify sensational content, encouraging users to share unverified claims for engagement, particularly in politically charged contexts
Evidence: Study analyzes Twitter data showing misinformation spreads faster than facts due to algorithmic promotion of emotional or divisive content, with examples from events like mass shootings where false narratives gain traction before corrections
Alternative view: Alternative views highlight cultural polarization where ideological echo chambers amplify misinformation, rather than purely technological factors
💡 It challenges the implicit narrative in coverage that focuses on the shooter's denial, by highlighting how external actors like influencers exploit incidents to push agendas, adding a layer of media-driven distortion to public understanding
Phenomenon: Rise in mass shootings at educational institutions
Explanation: According to Isaiah H. Harris's 2025 thesis at the University at Albany, mass shootings in academic settings are often driven by social rejection experienced by offenders, which acts as a catalyst for violence by transforming perceived injustices into aggression, particularly in environments with symbolic significance for expressing grievances.
Evidence: Case survey analysis of 101 U.S. mass shootings from 2006-2024, with focused comparisons showing high rejection scores (4-5) in academic cases like Virginia Tech (2007), Umpqua Community College (2015), and Sandy Hook (2012), where isolation and bullying reinforced violent tendencies.
Alternative view: Peter Langman's 2009 typologies emphasize psychological categories like psychotic, traumatized, or psychopathic traits as primary drivers, with less focus on social rejection as the central mechanism.
💡 This explanation complicates typical coverage by shifting emphasis from individual mental illness or ideological motives to systemic social dynamics like rejection and isolation, contrasting with the shooter's self-description of sanity and deliberate action without stated remorse.
Phenomenon: Perceived association between immigration and violent crime trends
Explanation: According to a 2025 briefing paper by Alex Nowrasteh at the Cato Institute, immigrants commit mass shootings at significantly lower rates than native-born Americans, accounting for only a small percentage of such incidents from 1966 through 2024, challenging narratives linking immigration to increased violence.
Evidence: Risk analysis of homicide data indicating mass shooting victims represent 0.15% of all homicides, with immigrant perpetrators involved in fewer cases relative to their population share, based on comprehensive incident tracking.
Alternative view: Some political analyses suggest higher immigrant involvement due to selection bias in media reporting, but data from sources like Northeastern University (2025) confirm no elevated risk.
💡 This explanation challenges the implicit narrative in coverage of foreign nationals as heightened threats by highlighting the rarity of such cases, positioning this event as an outlier rather than indicative of broader demographic trends.
📰 Source Timeline (24)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 20, 2026
4:04 PM
Students return to Brown University amid questions over security policies that enabled mass shooting
New information:
- Brown has resumed classes for the spring semester while the campus remains visibly shaken, with memorials for slain students Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov in place.
- Graduate student Jack DiPrimio describes the emotional impact of returning to class and walking past memorials, offering on‑the‑ground context on campus mood.
- The article reiterates details from the DOJ transcript that Neves‑Valente said he had planned the Brown attack for "at least six semesters" and viewed the outcome as having "at least something" done.
- New focus on campus security policies: Brown allowed a homeless man, known as "John," to live in the Barus and Holley building basement, and police relied on public help to identify him as a key witness, raising questions about building access and monitoring.
- The Trump administration’s Department of Education issued a Dec. 22 press release criticizing Brown’s surveillance and security systems and alleging delayed emergency alerts, warning that such failures could be serious breaches of federal responsibilities.
January 10, 2026
3:00 PM
Brown University shooting videos show awareness and planning, experts say
New information:
- Fox cites federal investigators and reiterates that ATF has traced the gun used in the shootings, while noting that officials have not publicly released the weapon’s origin or purchase history.
- The story includes expert commentary from former tactical emergency response director Josh Schirard, who says the transcripts confirm the shooter’s full awareness and responsibility, that he denied mental illness, rejected ideological motives and acknowledged killing was 'hard' for him.
- The article underscores that the shooter explicitly described himself as 'very sane' and acting knowingly, and that he envied people who could kill 'without difficulty.'
January 07, 2026
2:21 AM
Shooter who killed Brown students and MIT professor planned attack for years, DOJ says
New information:
- Confirms the shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, said in Portuguese that he had been working out details of the attack for "at least six semesters" and that he "always chickened out" on prior opportunities.
- Provides explicit DOJ‑translated quotes in which Neves Valente refuses to apologize, says he is not mentally ill, does not want fame, and states his "only objective was to leave more or less" on his own terms while ensuring he "wouldn’t be the one who ended up suffering the most."
- Addresses misinformation by quoting Neves Valente denying that he spoke Arabic or said "Allahu akbar," instead claiming any utterance was likely an exclamation like "Oh no!" when he thought the auditorium was empty.
- Adds his characterization of the shootings as "a little incompetent" but saying "at least something was done," further underscoring his lack of remorse.
- Clarifies his historic linkage to MIT Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro: they attended the same physics program at Instituto Superior Técnico in Portugal from 1995–2000, and notes a 2000 termination notice from the Lisbon university regarding Neves Valente.
January 06, 2026
11:27 PM
Brown University shooter confesses in videos, says attack was planned for a long time
New information:
- CBS piece reiterates that the DOJ-released videos contain no clear motive for the Brown and MIT shootings, despite the suspect discussing his planning and lack of remorse.
- Article includes specific quotes from the transcript, such as Neves Valente stating he had 'plenty of opportunities, especially this semester...but I always chickened out,' and that his 'only objective was to leave more or less on my own terms.'
- Reconfirms biographical/context details: Neves Valente was a former Brown graduate student; authorities believe he and MIT professor Nuno Loureiro knew each other from a shared physics background at a Portuguese university.
11:15 PM
Brown University shooter confessed in videos to planning attack for long time, showed no remorse: DOJ
New information:
- DOJ says it recovered an electronic device with confession videos during a Dec. 18, 2025 federal search of a Salem, Massachusetts storage facility used by Claudio Manuel Neves Valente.
- The videos were recorded in Portuguese and DOJ has now translated them into English and released transcripts.
- In the recordings, Neves Valente states the Brown attack was planned over 'six semesters' or longer, explicitly rejects mental illness as an excuse ('I am sane'), and repeatedly refuses to apologize.
- He says he has used the Salem storage space for about three years and that he 'still has money' there.
- He references President Donald Trump having called him 'an animal' and agrees with that characterization, while adding that he has 'no love' and 'no hatred towards America' and frames the shootings as a matter of 'opportunity'.
- DOJ notes that Neves Valente offers no clear motive in the videos and that the investigation into motive will continue, while reiterating that he blamed victims and called some victims' responses 'kind of stupid'.
11:08 PM
Shooter who killed MIT professor and Brown students planned attack for months, DOJ says
New information:
- DOJ says shooter Claudio Neves Valente had been planning the Brown University attack for at least six semesters.
- FBI recovered an electronic device from the New Hampshire storage unit where Neves Valente was found dead, containing short videos he recorded after the shootings.
- In Portuguese‑language recordings, Neves Valente admits he planned the Brown shooting "for a long time," calls his execution "a little incompetent" but says "at least something was done," and states he would not apologize because "during my lifetime no one sincerely apologized to me."
- He describes his "only objective" as leaving on his "own terms" and ensuring he "wouldn't be the one who ended up suffering the most," and notes he had rented the storage space for about three years.
- The DOJ confirms he did not provide any motive for targeting Brown University or MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, an acquaintance from their time studying in Portugal.
December 31, 2025
4:45 PM
Dispatch records from Brown University shooting capture chaos of deadly campus attack
New information:
- Providence Police and Fire Department dispatch records show the shooting began shortly after 4 p.m. Dec. 13 in the Barus and Holley building near Brown’s Sciences Library and other academic buildings along Thayer, Hope and Waterman streets.
- Officers reported encountering a possible suspect in a basement at 167 Thayer St. at 4:22 p.m., taking one person into custody at 4:38 p.m. after confronting a possible suspect in a bathroom, and detaining another person in a vehicle at 4:42 p.m.; these on‑scene detentions were separate from the individual detained the following morning at a Coventry hotel and later released.
- Initial 911 calls reported a man shot in the back near Manning Walk, with subsequent calls describing an active shooter and about 10 shots fired in Barus and Holley hallways and classrooms; witnesses initially described a male suspect in all‑black clothing with a face covering.
- Dispatch traffic indicated hundreds of students sheltering in place, including roughly 150–300 barricaded inside Solomon Hall, while Providence Fire quickly declared a mass‑casualty incident, deployed rescue task forces and requested ballistic protection for medics who had to wait for scenes to be secured.
- Fire logs show victims located both inside and outside buildings (including hallways, stairwells and basement areas), and Rhode Island Hospital was designated to receive the most critically injured victims.
December 30, 2025
9:14 PM
Brown University implements campus-wide security overhaul after mass shooting leaves 2 dead, 9 wounded
New information:
- Brown University announced a campus-wide security overhaul including converting remaining key-entry buildings to card access before Spring 2026, expanding blue-light phones with cameras, installing security cameras in key locations such as the Barus and Holley building, and adding more panic buttons.
- Immediate measures include increased public safety staffing across campus and continued use of card access, keys, or ID checks for building entry.
- The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into Brown for potential violations of the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act and will conduct an external after-action review of the incident and emergency response.
- Brown will also undergo a comprehensive, externally led campus safety and security assessment that will incorporate community input.
- Former Brown police chief Rodney Chatman has been placed on leave and Hugh T. Clements Jr., former Providence police chief, has been named interim public safety vice president after reports that a custodian claimed he had warned security about the suspected shooter weeks before the attack.
December 26, 2025
4:24 PM
Brown, MIT shootings may have stemmed from suspect’s failures, fixation on scientist’s success: report
New information:
- Portuguese nuclear‑fusion official Dr. Bruno Goncalves told the Daily Mail that the leading theory is that suspect Claudio Manuel Neves‑Valente saw MIT professor Nuno Loureiro as a symbol of the academic and professional success he failed to achieve.
- Goncalves said there was no known ongoing relationship or rivalry between Neves‑Valente and Loureiro after their student days, and that any resentment was one‑sided and developed later.
- Goncalves rejected the idea that institutional or academic pressures caused the violence, saying elite Portuguese technical universities provide psychological support and many graduates successfully move into other careers.
- He characterized the shootings as rooted in how Neves‑Valente chose to respond to his own failures rather than in problems with the course or academic system.
December 23, 2025
8:25 PM
Brown University students shaken as relief, anger collide after suspected shooter's death
New information:
- Providence police publicly identified the suspected Brown shooter as 48‑year‑old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves‑Valente and confirmed he was found dead in a Salem, New Hampshire storage unit on Dec. 18.
- Brown President Christina Paxson said Neves‑Valente had been a Brown graduate student from fall 2000 to spring 2001, took a leave of absence, and ultimately withdrew in 2003.
- Police also identified Neves‑Valente as the suspected gunman who killed MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, in his Brookline home on Dec. 16.
- Brown’s website indicates the first emergency alert about the shooting went out at 4:22 p.m., 17 minutes after the first 911 call, a delay students in the article criticize.
- Students quoted describe intense emotional reactions to the suspect’s death, lingering fear on campus, and specific experiences sheltering during the incident and relying on SideChat posts before official alerts.
4:35 PM
Brown University police chief placed on leave after deadly shooting as Trump admin opens investigation
New information:
- Brown University Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management Rodney Chatman has been placed on administrative leave by President Christina Paxson following the Dec. 13 Barus and Holley shooting.
- Former Providence Police Chief Hugh T. Clements has been appointed interim head of Brown’s public safety operations.
- The U.S. Department of Education has opened a formal investigation into Brown for potential violations of the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act related to the shooting.
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued a statement framing the review as a test of whether Brown met its legal obligation to "vigilantly maintain campus security."
- Brown announced an "After‑Action Review" of the incident and pledged new security measures, including expanded security camera coverage in the Barus and Holley building, which previously had few or no cameras in the area of the shooting, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.
11:00 AM
Billionaire trustees stay silent as Brown University faces mounting campus murder fallout
New information:
- Fox reports that Brown’s full board of trustees, including high-profile figures such as Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan and Goldman Sachs asset-management chair Rich Friedman, declined to respond to requests for comment about the murders and security lapses.
- Article details that a homeless man, known as 'John,' was living in the basement of Brown’s Barus and Holley engineering building and became a key witness who helped investigators identify and locate the alleged shooter.
- Piece emphasizes that police initially had to resort to social media to identify this homeless witness, highlighting weaknesses in Brown’s ability to monitor who was living in its facilities.
- Story reiterates that the building where the shooting occurred had limited surveillance, and notes the implication that failure to apprehend the suspect on campus may have enabled the later killing of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro.
- Fox outlines the governance role of Brown’s board (employment and review of the president, approval of long-term strategy) to frame possible accountability for campus security decisions.
1:37 AM
Brown University police chief placed on leave after mass shooting
New information:
- Brown University placed Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management and campus police chief Rodney Chatman on leave effective immediately, more than a week after the Dec. 13 shooting.
- Former Providence Police Department chief Hugh T. Clements was appointed interim chief for public safety and police while Chatman is on leave.
- President Christina Paxson announced Brown will commission a formal review of campus safety and the university’s response to the Dec. 13 shooting.
- Brown will install more security cameras across campus, including at the Barus & Holley engineering building where the shooting occurred, after investigators said the manhunt was hampered by a lack of usable surveillance video.
- The U.S. Department of Education announced a 'program review' of Brown to determine whether the university met federal campus safety standards tied to eligibility for federal student aid.
- The Department of Education said Brown 'seemed unable to provide helpful information about the profile of the alleged assassin' in the days following the shooting, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued a statement framing the review as part of the Trump administration’s effort to enforce student-safety requirements.
December 22, 2025
8:37 PM
Brown University hires former US Attorney Zachary Cunha as possible campus shooting lawsuits loom
New information:
- Brown University has retained former U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island Zachary Cunha, who stepped down in May, in anticipation of possible lawsuits stemming from the Dec. 13 campus shooting.
- Brown states that Cunha is being used as outside counsel to assist the university in coordinating with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
- The article reiterates criticism that Brown lacked sufficient security cameras on campus, forcing investigators to rely on off‑campus surveillance during the manhunt.
- Additional biographical detail: Cunha was nominated as U.S. attorney by President Joe Biden in 2021 and resigned in February after being directed to do so by President Trump’s White House, and he is now a partner at Nixon Peabody in its litigation and government investigations/white‑collar defense practice.
8:01 PM
Brown University custodian told security suspicious man was ‘casing’ building weeks before shooting: report
New information:
- Brown custodian Derek Lisi says he saw a man matching suspect Claudio Manuel Neves Valente on campus roughly 10 times in the weeks before the Dec. 13 shooting, mainly in the Barus and Holley engineering and physics building.
- Lisi reports the man paced hallways, peered into classrooms and once ducked behind a bathroom to avoid being seen, and frequently lingered near room 166 where the shooting later occurred.
- Lisi says he reported the suspicious behavior to a Brown University security guard in mid‑November, telling them the man was 'circling the hallways.'
- He last saw the man on Dec. 1 before going on vacation and later recognized him from police photos after the shooting, telling The Boston Globe the suspect had been 'casing that place for weeks.'
- Lisi told Providence Police about his observations on Dec. 15 and criticized Barus and Holley as having been 'a free‑for‑all' where 'anybody could just come in.'
- The article updates victim status, noting five of the injured remain at Rhode Island Hospital in stable condition and reiterates that victims Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov were killed.
December 20, 2025
12:38 AM
Brown University, MIT shooting suspect likely died days before body found: autopsy
New information:
- New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella announced that an autopsy found Claudio Manuel Neves‑Valente died from a gunshot wound to the head, with the manner of death ruled suicide.
- Based on forensic and investigative information, authorities now estimate Neves‑Valente died on Tuesday, Dec. 16, two days before his body was found in the Salem, New Hampshire storage unit.
- ATF and FBI, working with the Connecticut State Police forensic lab, confirm that one recovered 9mm pistol was the weapon used in the Brown University mass shooting and the second pistol was used in the killing of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro.
- Brown’s president reiterated that Neves‑Valente, a Portuguese national and former physics Ph.D. student who withdrew in 2003, had no current affiliation with the university, though he likely spent extensive time in the targeted building when enrolled.
12:00 AM
Investigators struggled to ID Brown suspect while gunman went on to kill again
New information:
- Authorities identify the Brown University shooter as former Brown graduate student Claudio Manuel Neves Valente.
- Investigators say the gunman shot and killed MIT professor Nuno Loureiro at his Boston‑area home while on the run during the manhunt.
- The suspect was found dead by suicide in a New Hampshire storage unit on Thursday night, ending a five‑day manhunt.
- The manhunt was hampered by an early misidentification and detention of an uninvolved person of interest that investigators later had to walk back.
- Officials say poor, low‑quality surveillance video and gaps in camera coverage inside the Brown building significantly slowed identification.
- Investigators report that a Reddit user (“John”) provided a crucial tip about encounters with the suspect and details of his car, which enabled law enforcement to identify and track the shooter.
- Multiple law enforcement sources told CBS that investigators had to ‘effectively restart’ after early missteps, losing several hours in a critical early window.
- The piece notes prior scrutiny of FBI Director Kash Patel’s social‑media use in high‑profile cases, drawing a parallel to his premature X post in the Charlie Kirk assassination case.
December 18, 2025
8:05 PM
Suspected Brown University gunman identified as investigators explore connection to MIT slaying: sources
New information:
- Investigators have identified the suspected Brown University shooter and are examining whether he may also be tied to the shooting death of MIT professor Nuno F. G. Loureiro in Brookline.
- Senior law‑enforcement sources, cited by WPRI‑TV, say they have uncovered evidence of a connection between the Brown and MIT shootings, although the nature of that evidence has not been disclosed.
- Reports in both jurisdictions reference Nissan Sentras seen near each crime scene, though the cars were described as having license plates from different states.
- The article underscores that FBI Boston and regional investigators are sharing intelligence across the two cases after previously saying there was no clear link.
4:18 PM
MIT professor remembered as brilliant scientist amid search for his killer
New information:
- CBS reports that sources say Nuno Loureiro was not working on any classified projects, and that there is no classified work being performed on the MIT campus.
- FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks is quoted saying there is no indication that the MIT killing and the Brown University shooting are related.
- MIT obituary details Loureiro’s scientific profile, highlighting his work on nonlinear plasma dynamics, magnetic reconnection, turbulence and instabilities.
- The article lists specific prizes Loureiro received, including the APS Thomas H. Stix Award for Outstanding Early Career Contributions to Plasma Physics Research and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
- MIT President Sally Kornbluth’s letter to the community is quoted, expressing condolences to Loureiro’s family and the MIT community.
12:00 PM
Who was Nuno Loureiro? MIT professor gunned down in apartment near university
New information:
- Confirms Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro’s broader prominence in fusion‑energy research, including that his theories and models guided major U.S. and European fusion experiments.
- Reports that FBI Boston SAC Ted Docks said investigators are sharing intelligence with the Brown University shooting probe but do not currently believe the two attacks are connected.
- Notes that no suspect has been identified and the motive remains unknown, as of the latest briefing.
- Adds community reaction, including quotes from neighbor and Tufts professor Allen Taylor about the impact on the scientific community and local neighborhood.
- Provides additional biographical background: Loureiro’s education in Portugal, the UK and the U.S., and his work on solar flares and plasma physics.
- Includes expanded tribute quote from MIT colleague Dennis Whyte describing Loureiro’s role as a mentor, teacher and leader in the fusion community.
December 17, 2025
1:30 AM
Police launch homicide investigation into MIT professor shot at his Massachusetts home
New information:
- Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office formally classified the case as an active homicide investigation and said no further information is being released at this time.
- Clarified timeline: Loureiro was taken to a hospital Monday evening with apparent gunshot wounds and died Tuesday morning.
- Background specifics: full name (Nuno Gomes Loureiro), age 47, originally from Portugal, joined MIT in 2016 and became director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center last year.
- Brookline Police Chief Jennifer Paster offered condolences and said disclosure is limited to protect the investigation.
- MIT’s Dennis Whyte praised Loureiro in a statement carried by MIT News.
December 16, 2025
9:53 PM
An MIT professor was shot at home. Authorities say no suspect is in custody
New information:
- Victim identified as Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47.
- Timing clarified: shooting occurred Monday night; he died Tuesday morning.
- Authorities state no suspect is in custody; the case is an active, ongoing homicide investigation per the Norfolk DA’s Office.
- MIT confirms Loureiro led the Plasma Science and Fusion Center and was a professor in Nuclear Science and Engineering and Physics, and notes support services for the community.
7:07 PM
MIT professor shot dead in Brookline home, Massachusetts State Police launch homicide investigation
New information:
- Massachusetts State Police are leading the homicide investigation, according to officials.
- MIT spokesperson Kimberly Allen issued a statement offering condolences and noting focused outreach and support for those who knew Prof. Loureiro.
- MIT said it will not release additional information out of respect for the integrity of the ongoing investigation.