Response to Brown University Shooting Detailed in Records
Recently released police and fire records illustrate the frantic response to the shooting at Brown University, which resulted in the deaths of two students and injuries to several others.
This tragic incident unfolded just after 4 p.m. on December 13, at the Barth and Hawley Building, located near the Brown Science Library and various academic structures along Sayre, Hope, and Waterman streets, as noted by the Providence Police Department (PPD) and fire department dispatch records.
In the hour following the shooting, authorities reported the apprehension of a potential suspect within a nearby university building. Another individual was reportedly found with the suspect inside that building, and an additional person was detained in a vehicle parked nearby.
At approximately 4:22 p.m., police encountered a potential suspect in the basement of a building at 167 Sayre Street. They later found the suspect in a restroom in the same building, confirming they had taken someone into custody by 4:38 p.m. Additionally, a person was reported detained in the vehicle at 4:42 p.m.
It’s worth mentioning that these individuals were different from one who was interrogated the following morning at a hotel in Coventry, who was later released. Fox News Digital has reached out to the PPD for comments on these developments.
The initial emergency call indicated a man had been shot in the back near Manning Walk. Soon after, Brown University police notified local authorities that multiple individuals had been shot, prompting a broader response that affected various buildings such as Barth & Hawley, 167 Thayer Street, 115 Waterman Street, and 184 Hope Street.
Radio communications confirmed the situation was critical, with a caller reporting up to ten shots fired within the Ivy League institution’s hallways and classrooms, according to dispatch records. Witnesses described the male suspect as dressed in all black and with his face concealed. Subsequently, police released the initial suspect.
In the chaos, hundreds of students fled to different buildings, including Solomon Hall. Police indicated that between 150 to 300 people had barricaded themselves inside for safety.
The Providence Fire Department, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, quickly declared a mass casualty incident. Rescue teams were dispatched, and medical personnel equipped with bulletproof gear were ordered to wait until police secured the site. Hospitals in the region prepared for incoming casualties, designating Rhode Island Hospital for the most critically injured.
According to fire department records, victims were located both inside and outside the building, including in hallways, stairwells, and the basement. As police methodically searched the building floor by floor, they reported multiple victims leaving the premises while some had barricaded themselves on upper floors in hopes of rescue.
After several hours of searching, the building was eventually declared safe. Buses were brought in to transport students who had been rescued to a designated reunification point.
Fox News Digital sought further information from the Providence Police Department regarding audio recordings of 911 calls related to the incident but had yet to receive a response.
The individual responsible for the shooting was identified as Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old former physics student from Portugal. Following a multi-state investigation, it was reported that Valente later took his own life.
Authorities revealed he had killed two students and wounded nine others in the Brown attack before heading to Massachusetts, where he fatally shot a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology two days later.
Details surrounding a motive remain unclear. A spokesperson from a research institute mentioned that Valente likely didn’t have any unresolved issues with the professor and suggested he may have viewed the professor as a representation of the success he felt he had not achieved.
