The suspect in the Brown University shooting, Claudio Valente, was found dead, authorities confirmed. This ends the search after the December 13 incident that killed two students and injured nine. Valente, a student and Portuguese national, was linked to the crime scene, closing a case that gripped Rhode Island.

The suspect accused of carrying out the deadly mass shooting at Brown University earlier this month has been found dead after taking his own life, authorities confirmed on Thursday. Providence Police Chief Oscar L. Perez, Jr. said the deceased was discovered with a satchel, two firearms and material that matched evidence recovered from the crime scene, effectively closing the manhunt that had gripped Rhode Island and neighbouring states, as reported by .

The suspect has been identified as Claudio Valente, a 48-year-old Brown University student and a Portuguese national. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said investigators found conclusive evidence linking Valente to the December 13 shooting that left two students dead and nine others injured at the Ivy League campus in Providence.

The attack took place at around 4:05 pm inside Room 166 of the Barus and Holley Building, where a review session for an introductory Principles of Economics final exam was underway. According to officials, the lone gunman entered the classroom and fired multiple rounds from a handgun before fleeing the scene. All victims were confirmed to be Brown students.

The two students killed were identified as Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old international student from Uzbekistan, and Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore known as a talented pianist and vice president of Brown’s College Republicans chapter. The nine injured students were rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, with injuries ranging from critical to stable in the immediate aftermath.

Following the shooting, Brown University was placed under lockdown as hundreds of local, state, and federal officers launched a large-scale search for the suspect. The university cancelled remaining fall semester classes and exams and postponed early decision admissions notifications, as the incident occurred during finals week.

FBI Released Images Of Suspect, Offers $50,000 Reward

During the investigation, police tracked leads across state lines. Officers earlier swarmed the Salem, New Hampshire, area after locating an abandoned car with a license plate believed to be connected to the suspect. The FBI also released surveillance images of a masked individual dressed in black near campus fencing and announced a reward of up to USD 50,000 for information leading to the arrest of a person of interest. That individual was later released without charges as the probe continued.

Authorities are also reportedly examining potential links between the Brown University shooting and the recent killing of an MIT professor at his Massachusetts home, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation.

The Brown shooting adds to a grim national tally, with at least 75 school shootings reported across the United States so far this year, renewing debate over campus safety and gun violence.