Brown University announces additional security measures after mass shooting

PROVIDENCE, R.I — Brown University is implementing additional security measures after a mass shooting earlier this month.

The attack on December 13 on Brown University’s campus triggered hours of chaos across campus and surrounding Providence neighborhoods as hundreds of officers searched for the shooter and urged students and staff to shelter in place.

Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman from Uzbekistan, were killed when a man walked inside the engineering building and opened fire.

Brown University’s interim Vice President for Public Safety, Hugh Clements, released a new action as the spring semester is less than a month away.

Clements, is a former chief of Providence police, was recently named the interim public safety vice president after Rodney Chatman, was placed on leave.

“What happened on Dec. 13 should never happen again — at Brown or anywhere — and we must confront that imperative for our community with steadfast purpose,” Clements wrote in a release.

The new safety measures include:

Transition to card access for the remaining buildings currently requiring keys for entry (with assigned officers at those buildings until the technology transition is complete)
Expansion of blue light phones with integrated cameras across campus
Installing additional security cameras in key areas, including at Barus & Holley, pending final determinations arising from the Campus Safety and Security Assessment announced Dec. 22
Expansion of panic buttons in critical locations to ensure rapid access to help when it is needed most
Strengthened coordination among campus partners, local agencies and regional mental health resources
Enhanced public safety training, staffing and operating systems for rapid and effective communications during emergencies
Reinforced messages of available resources supporting crime prevention and emergency management (see the important information in the Resources section at the end of this letter)

“I want you to know this: Our goal is not to create a campus defined by fear, but one defined by preparedness, vigilance, and mutual care. We are committed to maintaining a campus where every member of this community — students, faculty, staff, and visitors — can learn, work, and live with confidence that they are doing so in spaces that support a strong academic mission while also being secure,” Clements wrote.

In the letter sent to students and staff, Clements also announced that the university will be moving forward with two external reviews regarding the shooting.

Officials identified the shooter as 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, a Portuguese national.

“As I embrace the privilege of being a member of this extraordinary Brown community, I want to honor the victims of Dec. 13 by working with campus partners to bring about meaningful change. I hope to honor the injured by ensuring this campus is safer tomorrow than it was yesterday. And as students, faculty and staff, we can honor this community by standing strong together — resilient, compassionate and determined."

For more information, visit the link here.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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