A woman who survived the shooting at Brown University was visibly shaken when police presented her with a photograph of the alleged gunman, Claudio Neves-Valente. This revelation comes from a recently disclosed police report outlining the investigation into the incident.
On Monday, the Providence Police Department made public the body camera footage capturing officers’ immediate response to the December 13 mass shooting at the prestigious Ivy League institution. Alongside these visuals, audio from 911 calls and radio communications during the event were also released.
To safeguard the identities and privacy of those involved, certain portions of the materials were redacted in response to public records requests.
During the course of their investigation, detectives shared surveillance images of Neves-Valente with multiple victims who had been caught up in the shooting spree.
One of the victims, who had a clear view of the shooter during the attack, had a notably intense reaction upon being shown the suspect’s photograph.
One victim, who told detectives she had gotten a good look at the shooter, reacted strongly upon seeing the photograph.
“When provided with a photo of the suspect, [redacted] quickly froze, physically pushed back, and became emotional,” the incident report said. “She was observed to be tearing up and shaking. She then confirmed that the image showed the shooter.”
Two other victims were separately shown images of Neves-Valente and also identified him as the suspect.
A split image shows Claudio Neves-Valente, identified as the Brown University gunman, wearing the same jacket as a man identified earlier as a person of interest in the case. (Providence Police Department)
“Upon observing these two photos, [redacted] took a deep breath, shut his eyes, changed his breathing pattern, and confirmed that the shooter he saw in the hallway appeared to be the person in the photos presented,” police said. “Detectives met with [redacted] and presented him with the image of the suspect. [Redacted] also identified that the suspect in the images was the shooter.”
Investigators identified Neves-Valente through an extensive review of surveillance footage from multiple locations around the Brown University campus and the surrounding neighborhood.
According to the police report, the suspect appeared to be a heavy-set male wearing a face mask covering his lower face, a two-toned dark jacket, black pants and black sneakers. He was also carrying a black satchel across his body that was sometimes visible on camera.
Detectives noted a consistent gait and distinctive walking pattern across videos captured before and after the shooting, including footage showing the suspect circling the area for hours and later walking away from the Barus & Holley building shortly after the gunfire.
