Reflecting on the tragic events at Brown University and MIT, a former peer of the accused shooter recalls the suspect as “socially awkward” and “angry” during their college years. This insight comes as the community grapples with the shocking incidents.

Scott Watson, who now teaches physics at Syracuse University, shared his experiences with Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, whom he met at Brown in 2000. Watson described himself as perhaps the only friend Neves-Valente had during that period, noting the Portuguese individual’s frequent grievances about life in the United States and the university environment.

“At Brown, I was practically his sole friend. We both were socially awkward, which likely drew us together,” Watson recounted. “I found him alone during orientation, approached him, and introduced myself. Initially, he was reserved, but over time, we managed to connect and became close friends.”

Neves-Valente, now 48, has been named as the suspect in the December 13 shooting at Brown University, an incident that resulted in the deaths of two students and injuries to nine others.

Watson noted that Neves-Valente frequently vented his dissatisfaction with his academic experience, asserting that the coursework at Brown was not challenging enough for him.

“He regularly voiced his discontent about relocating to the U.S. and about his studies,” Watson explained. “He claimed the classes were too simple—and truthfully, they were for him. He had an impressive grasp of the material already.”

Even campus food was a source of irritation for Neves-Valente, according to Watson.

“I remember him getting irritated about the quality of food on campus, especially the lack of high-quality fish,” he said.

Watson also recalled Neves-Valente’s troubling behavior toward another student.

“We had another classmate that Claudio would insult and call him his slave. I had to break up a fight once,” Watson said. 

A split image shows Claudio Neves-Valente, identified as the suspect in the Brown University shooting, wearing the same jacket as a man identified earlier as a person of interest in the case. (Providence Police Department)

However, Watson said there were also moments when Neves-Valente seemed more calm.

“I have genuinely fond memories of dinners with him at a local Portuguese restaurant near campus,” he said. “There is a community there. He could be kind and gentle, though he often became frustrated — sometimes angry — about courses, professors and living conditions.”

The two last spoke when Neves-Valente decided to leave Brown, Watson said.

“The last time I spoke with him, we walked to his apartment and I tried to convince him not to leave. He refused, and that was the last time I heard from him,” he said. “He told me he was returning to Portugal, though it now appears that may not have been the case.”

A law enforcement official walks past articles of clothing on a sidewalk near an entrance to Brown University, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Providence, Rhode Island, during the investigation of a shooting. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)

Neves-Valente, 48, was recently identified as the suspect in the Dec. 13 Brown University mass shooting, which left two students dead and nine others injured.

Authorities later confirmed he was also the suspect in the Dec. 15 fatal shooting of MIT nuclear science professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, who was found shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.

According to Brown University President Christina Paxson, Neves-Valente was a Portuguese national and former Brown student who studied physics from the fall of 2000 through the spring of 2001 before withdrawing from the program in 2003. He had no recent affiliation with the university at the time of the shooting on campus.

“I am shocked this has occurred,” Watson said.