A single post on the social media platform Reddit proved to be the critical breakthrough for police investigating a deadly shooting at the prestigious Brown University in the United States. The online tip, which detailed a suspicious grey Nissan sedan, set detectives on a trail that led to the identification of the suspect, who was later found dead.
The Reddit Tip That Changed Everything
Frustration was mounting in Providence, Rhode Island, after a gunman opened fire inside the Barus and Holley building at the Ivy League university on Saturday, 13 December 2025. The attack killed two students—Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook—and injured nine others. With the perpetrator having fled and no clear image of his face available, the investigation appeared to have stalled.
That changed when a witness, referred to in court documents as 'John', took to Reddit. In his post, he stated he had seen the suspect opening a grey Nissan sedan with Florida licence plates, parked near the Rhode Island Historical Society, close to the crime scene. "I'm being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental," the user wrote, according to an affidavit seen by Sky News.
Providence police acted on the information, locating the vehicle on CCTV footage. This corroborated earlier footage showing the masked suspect encountering another man less than two hours before the shooting. Authorities then released images of that second individual, who came forward to officers within hours. "He blew this case right open," stated Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.
From a Rental Car to a Name and a Motive
The grey Nissan, identified thanks to the Reddit post, led detectives to a car rental company in Boston, Massachusetts. There, they secured video footage clearly showing the suspect's face and a rental document identifying him as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national.
Police matched the clothing Neves Valente wore at the rental office on 1 December to that worn by the shooter on 13 December. The outfit included a distinctive two-tone jacket, black trousers, and a blue shirt visible beneath the jacket.
In a shocking development, officials also confirmed a link between Neves Valente and the murder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, which occurred two days later in Brookline. The two men had attended the same academic programme at a university in Lisbon, Portugal, between 1995 and 2000.
The Final Manhunt and Unanswered Questions
After the Brown shooting, Neves Valente travelled to Massachusetts, concealing the rental car's identity with a Maine licence plate. CCTV tracked him entering an apartment building near Professor Loureiro's home and, about an hour later, a storage facility in New Hampshire.
It was there that police discovered Neves Valente's body. Inside his car, they found a satchel containing two firearms and evidence matching the Providence crime scene. "[John] led us to the car, which led us to the name, which led us to the photographs... that matched the clothing of our shooter," Attorney General Neronha explained.
Despite the resolution, significant questions remain. Authorities have stated there are still "a lot of unknowns" regarding the motive for the Brown University attack. "We don't know why now, why Brown, why these students and why this classroom," Neronha admitted.
The FBI had offered a $50,000 reward for information on the shooting. When asked if the Reddit poster would receive it, Special Agent Ted Docks indicated it was a logical possibility, stating, "that individual would be entitled to that."
