Providence mayor, police chief honored at college basketball game after Brown shooter investigation

Providence, R.I. — Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez were greeted with applause Friday night at the men’s college basketball game between Providence College and Seton Hall, a public show of support as the city contends with the aftermath of this week’s shooting at Brown University and the ensuing investigation. The moment highlighted a community grappling with how authorities conducted the investigation while balancing public safety, transparency and accountability.

A day earlier, authorities announced that the six-day investigation into the Brown shooting ended with the discovery of the suspected gunman, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national who studied physics at Brown from fall 2000 to spring 2001 and withdrew in 2003. Valente was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, on Thursday, closing the active manhunt and leaving questions about motive and how investigators identified the suspect. Brown University President Christina Paxson confirmed Valente’s connection to the university and his withdrawal years ago. The shootings — which killed two Brown students and an MIT professor — prompted a broad community response and questions about how the investigation was conducted and communicated to students, families and residents.

The end of the manhunt did not quell controversy surrounding the investigation. Authorities acknowledged detaining an innocent man who was mistaken for the suspect and faced scrutiny over the level of transparency provided to the public during the six days of searching. In the days after the shooting, detectives conducted neighborhood canvasses for surveillance footage and followed a number of leads, including a person of interest described as a masked, stocky man with a distinctive gait who appeared in security video. Police said they initially questioned a person of interest at a hotel outside town but ruled him out as a suspect as the investigation progressed.

Brown officials and local leaders have emphasized the importance of learning from the case to improve procedures in the future, while reassuring residents that investigators pursued every credible lead. The university has provided updates to students and families and remained engaged with city authorities as the community processed the incident. Neves Valente’s status as a former Brown student has been noted by university officials, though their statements have not indicated any direct connection between him and the victims beyond his past enrollment.

No motive has been publicly determined, and investigators have not released a definitive explanation for why Neves Valente targeted the victims. Law enforcement officials have said the case remains under review and that investigators will pursue any new information that may emerge from ongoing inquiries.

In a separate federal or national-policy context connected to the event's timing, Governor Kristi Noem announced a pause on an immigrant visa lottery that some critics have said could affect entries by individuals traveling to the United States. The pause was described as a policy action unrelated to the investigation itself but noted in coverage of the case as officials weighed broader questions about immigration processes and screening in the wake of the shootings.

Residents and students faced days of anxiety as campuses implemented safety protocols and community members awaited more definitive answers. The city has pledged to review communications and procedures to improve clarity during future public-safety events, while continuing to support victims, families and students impacted by the Brown shooting and its aftermath. As investigators close the current chapter of the case, officials say there remains work to be done to ensure transparency, accountability and public trust in the process.