Homeless tipster who helped crack Brown University shooter case set to receive $50,000 reward

A homeless tipster who helped crack the Brown University shooting case is being housed in a hotel and could receive a $50,000 reward, federal officials said, after his information helped authorities close a five-day manhunt for the gunman. The tipster, who goes by the pseudonym John, had been sleeping in the basement of Brown’s Barus and Holley building before he encountered the suspect in the hours before the attack and later helped police identify him. The developments come as authorities announced that Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and former Brown student, died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a storage unit in New Hampshire on Thursday evening, after being identified as the shooter connected to the attack that killed two Brown University students and wounded nine others in a campus lecture hall last weekend. Investigators believe Neves Valente acted alone.

John’s tip is credited with helping investigators tie the suspect to a gray Nissan Sentra with Florida plates, and his information enabled Providence police to tap into more than 70 surveillance cameras around the city. The FBI said the breakthrough would likely not have happened as quickly without John’s contribution, and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said the tip “blew this case right open.” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley urged FBI Director Kash Patel to award John the $50,000 prize, calling him a hero whose bravery and community stewardship went beyond expectations. "John is no less than a hero," Smiley wrote in a public letter. "His bravery, selflessness and stewardship on behalf of his community went far beyond what anyone could ever hope from a tip."

John’s encounters with the shooter were described in police affidavits. He previously attended Brown University and is said to have spent nights in the engineering building’s basement before the attack. He told investigators that he confronted Neves Valente in a bathroom inside Brown’s engineering building, noting the suspect’s clothing appeared inadequate for the weather. He later saw Neves Valente near the Nissan outside the building and, after a tense exchange, the gunman fled. John also posted his observations on Reddit, where he suggested leads for investigators, including the possibility of a rental gray Nissan, and urged followers to alert the FBI. Reddit users amplified his posts, which helped draw attention to the case and the vehicle involved.

The case drew national attention as investigators pieced together a timeline linking the Brown University attack to the fatal shooting of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro in Massachusetts. Officials said Neves Valente, who studied physics at Brown on a student visa and later became a permanent resident in 2017, had no known affiliation with Brown at the time of the attack. Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled as a graduate student in physics from 2000 to 2001, but his prior ties with Brown were limited and he did not appear to be an active member of the university community at the time of the shooting.

According to the investigation, Neves Valente and Loureiro shared Portuguese roots, and Loureiro had previously studied in Portugal’s Instituto Superior Técnico. The timeline indicates that Neves Valente carried out the Brown attack on a Saturday, followed by the murder of Loureiro two days later at his Brookline, Massachusetts home, roughly 50 miles away. Investigators have said Neves Valente acted alone, and his last known residence before the 2020s was listed as Miami, with visa records showing he had lived in the United States for years under various statuses. Authorities did not disclose a motive, and officials emphasized there is no evidence of a broader plot.

As the case concluded with Neves Valente’s death, questions arose about the reward process and the extent of John’s recognition. The FBI indicated it would review the information provided by John in connection with the reward program, and the mayor’s office pressed Patel to move forward with compensation. In the aftermath, some online communities and local residents celebrated the informant’s role, though the specifics of the government’s final decision on the payout remained to be announced.

The broader international dimension of the case continued to unfold. Neves Valente’s Portuguese background and his immigration history were cited in official statements, and the abrupt turn in the case prompted discussions about how similar incidents are investigated and how tipsters from vulnerable circumstances are treated in the wake of major crimes. The president at Brown, as well as state and local officials, pledged transparency as investigators reviewed the evidence and the timeline that led to the rapid identification of the shooter. The incident underscored the interconnectedness of campus life, urban surveillance networks, and cross-border ties in a case that stretched from Providence to the Boston area and beyond, reinforcing the importance of community involvement in solving violent crimes while also highlighting the complexities of attributing responsibility and support in the aftermath.