BROOKLINE, Mass. — Police reports obtained Monday by Boston 25 News reveal new details about the murder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Loureiro at his home in Brookline in December 2025.
Loureiro, 47, was shot and killed inside the foyer of his Gibbs Street home on the night of December 15, 2025, in what police describe as a swift and targeted attack.
Authorities have said that 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente killed two students in a mass shooting at Brown University on Dec. 13, 2025, before murdering Loureiro two days later.
Federal investigators say Neves Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program in Portugal between 1995 and 2000. Surveillance cameras captured Neves Valente’s rental car near the scene of the Brookline killing.
Neves Valente was found dead inside a storage unit at Extra Space storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, after a six-day manhunt.
Ninety-seven pages of incident reports released by the Brookline Police Department detail the attack on Loureiro, a description of Neves Valente that his 12-year-old daughter provided to police, the crime scene, the surveillance footage timeline, and MIT-related interviews, among other aspects of the exhaustive investigation.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
The attack
Just after 8:33 p.m., the doorbell rang repeatedly at the three‑unit building where Loureiro lived with his wife, two daughters, and mother‑in‑law. Moments after Loureiro stepped into the shared foyer to check the door, three to six gunshots erupted. His family rushed out to find him collapsed on the floor with severe gunshot wounds to his chest, abdomen, and legs.
Brookline police officers applied tourniquets and gauze before rushing him to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he died early the next morning at 5:50 a.m.
Witness description
Loureiro’s 12‑year‑old daughter briefly opened the apartment door before her father intervened. She told police she saw a man in the vestibule described as:
- Male, believed to be of Indian descent, mid‑30s
- 5′8”–6′0”, medium build
- Wearing a yellow reflective vest, dark blue clothing, and a winter hat
- Carrying what looked like an 11-by-11-inch cardboard package
The girl saw the gunman flee to the driver’s side of a blue or gray Nissan sedan that sped down Gibbs Street toward Stedman Street.
Crime scene
Investigators recovered six 9mm shell casings, bullet fragments, and ballistic damage throughout the foyer and stairwell. Bloodied clothing and a towel used in attempts to stop Loureiro’s bleeding were collected as evidence.
No security cameras were installed at the building entrance.
Video trail of the suspect
A sweeping neighborhood canvas produced a detailed digital trail:
Hours before the shooting
Surveillance video shows the suspect walking along Commonwealth Avenue around 1:20–1:40 p.m., wearing a dark mask and glasses. He entered multiple businesses, including Pho Viet, where he purchased food using cash.
Other footage captured a gray Nissan Sentra—later tied to the suspect—parked on Babcock Street as early as 8:00 a.m., remaining in the area for hours.
Just before the shooting
A neighbor’s camera at the corner of Gibbs and Naples captured the suspect walking in the area wearing the yellow reflective vest minutes before shots were fired.
After the shooting
Multiple cameras, including MBTA bus dashcams and Planned Parenthood’s exterior system, show the Nissan fleeing with headlights off, weaving through traffic on Commonwealth Avenue before heading west toward Brighton, Allston, Watertown, and Waltham. The car was recorded passing a Sunoco gas station on Route 20 around 9:06 p.m.
MIT connection investigated
Police interviewed colleagues at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, where Loureiro served as director. Staff described him as well‑liked, highly respected, and not involved in any known disputes.
Detectives explored whether the stressful PhD qualifying exam process—which Loureiro helped oversee—could be connected.
One former student with prior erratic behavior was noted, but no threats or violent history were identified. Investigators emphasized that no clear motive has emerged.
Regional and federal agencies join the investigation
The case brought in the Massachusetts State Police, Norfolk County DA’s Office, and the FBI, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force and FBI Photo Unit, which documented the scene and processed evidence.
Hundreds of video clips and multiple discs of forensic imagery were cataloged.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW