It was four days after the Brown University mass shooting that Providence Police posted a photo of an unidentified individual writing, “investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying and speaking to the individual shown in this photo who was in proximity of the person of interest.”
Now, a day after the Brown University mass shooter, Claudio Neves Valente, was found dead at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, the Mayor of Providence is calling this individual they were looking for a hero.
During the days after the shooting, authorities had detained a ‘person of interest,’ in Coventry before letting him go, determining that he wasn’t the one responsible for killing two students and injuring nine others on Saturday, December 13.
They had no identity of the person responsible, until a tip blew the case wide open.
That following Monday, an MIT Professor in Brookline had also been shot dead in the foyer of his home.
Mayor Brett Smiley had urged the public that there was no ongoing threat to the city of Providence, while the FBI Director was quick to say that both the mass shooting in Providence and the shooting of the MIT professor in Brookline was not connected.
“At this time, there seems to be no connection,” FBI Special Agent Ted Docks said.
Photos of the person of interest two hours before the shooting with a $50,000 were posted online in the following days and shared all over.
A Reddit user would later say he recognized the individual
“I’m being dead serious,” the Reddit post said, according to court documents.
“The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental.”
“I know because he used his key fob to open the car, approached it, and then something prompted him to back away,” he added.
When his photo was posted by Providence Police, the Reddit user, known as John came forward.
In an affidavit, John told officials he encountered Valente in the bathroom on the ground floor of the Barus Holley building just before 2 p.m. He described his clothing as “flimsy, and his jacket baggy.”
John also told detectives that the man was wearing a large facemask covering the entire lower part of his face with glasses, and his complexion was “weathered” and he had “cinnamon color complexion.”
John said he followed Valente out the bathroom and encountered him near the Rhode Island Historical Society where he saw him approach a grey or silver sedan with a Florida license plate. When Valente walked away, he observed two fanny pack style bags on the rear floorboard on the passenger side. It was then John described following Valente as a “game of cat and mouse.”
When they encountered each other on George Street, ‘John’ said the man ran in the opposite direction than slowed to a speed-walk where eventually they were standing two feet away from each other.
“Your car is back there, why are you circling the block?” ‘John’ said he asked.
Valente responded, “I don’t know you from nobody, why are you harassing me?”
John could detect an accent.
Once investigators were given the tip that pointed to the Nissan Sentra with Florida plates, they were able to figure out who rented the vehicle pretty quickly.
“Once they were able to positively identify a vehicle plate associated with him in the area of Providence, run that plate and find out if it’s a rental car in Boston, they were able to identify who had rented it and gather a positive identification on them pretty quickly,” Retired Boston Police Superintendent Dan Linskey told Boston 25.
Claudio Neves Valente was able to evade law enforcement for weeks, according to U.S. Attorney Leah Foley, as he reportedly cased the campus numerous times, used European SIM cards, and changed his license plates.
“This was very premeditated. He had a plan, and he did not want that plan to fail,” Foley told Boston 25.
Two 9mm pistols were recovered in New Hampshire with the body of Claudio Neves Valente, who committed suicide, according to the medical examiner’s office.
The ATF and FBI, through the CSP lab, positively correlated one firearm with the gun used in the Brown University shooting, while the others matched to the murder of Nuno Loureiro.
In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, Mayor Brett Smiley wrote “John is no less than a hero. His bravery, selflessness and stewardship on behalf of his community went far beyond what anyone could ever hope from a tip. I believe that our community is breathing easier today because of the extraordinary assistance John provided to our law enforcement agencies. I am writing to you today to request that the entirety of the $50,000 reward be issued to this incredible Providence neighbor.”
You can read the entirety of Mayor Brett Smiley’s letter here:
“Dear Director Patel,
On Saturday, December 13, Providence, Rhode Island experienced the worst act of violence in our city’s history. Following a mass shooting on Brown University’s campus, six of our neighbors remain in the hospital and two will never return home to their families. While the events of the past six days have weighed heavy on our community, I am relieved that our neighbors can breathe easier today knowing that the individual responsible has been found and our community is safe.
This individual was brought to justice last night thanks to the tireless dedication, selflessness and expertise of the local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies who spent nearly 130 consecutive, uninterrupted hours working to solve this case. I am immensely thankful to the Boston Federal Bureau of Investigations, under both your leadership and the direction of Special Agent Ted Docks for the instrumental partnership you provided to the Providence Police Department in getting us to this day and bringing justice to our victims and families.
In addition to rigorous police work, progress in this investigation was made possible by the people of Providence. Our neighbors have showed the nation what makes our city so special. They have leaned on one another, supported each other and stepped up to provide our law enforcement officials hundreds of tips that ultimately led to discovering the identity of the individual who committed this heinous act.
One individual amongst those who provided tips stands out above the rest: John. As discussed with the media last night, John is no less than a hero. His bravery, selflessness and stewardship on behalf of his community went far beyond what anyone could ever hope from a tip. I believe that our community is breathing easier today because of the extraordinary assistance John provided to our law enforcement agencies. I am writing to you today to request that the entirety of the $50,000 reward be issued to this incredible Providence neighbor."
— Mayor of Providence Brett Smiley
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW