Witnesses say Brown University shooter 'made a barking noise' before opening fire

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: Some witnesses to the Brown University shooting reported that the suspect made unusual "barking" noises just before opening fire inside a classroom, according to Rhode Island officials.

Authorities emphasized that accounts varied and that investigators were still working to determine what prompted the attack.

The new detail emerged as law enforcement confirmed that the suspect had since been found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials said that the investigation into the motive remains ongoing. 

Witness accounts raise new questions as motive remains unclear 

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said during a press conference that investigators received conflicting witness statements about what had occurred moments before the shooting began.

“There are some witnesses who said he said nothing. There are some that say he made a barking noise,” Neronha said. “Don’t ask me. I don’t know why. And that’s it. There is no other spoken word beyond that that we are aware of.” 

Authorities said the suspect entered a classroom at Brown University and fired more than 40 rounds, killing two students and injuring nine others.

Despite the unusual witness reports and the suspect's prior connections to the university, officials said that they had not identified a clear motive. 

“I don’t think we have any idea why now, or why Brown, or why these students, why this classroom,” Neronha said. 

Investigators said that the suspect later fatally shot Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Loureiro two days after the Brown attack.

Authorities said the suspect and the professor had known each other decades earlier in Portugal, but they cautioned that no link has yet been established to explain the violence. 

Body of suspect discovered and manhunt concludes 

Officials identified the suspect as Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese National and lawful permanent resident of the United States. Valente entered the country in 2000 on a student F-1 visa and became a permanent resident in 2017, authorities said. 

On Thursday night, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Trump administration would suspend the diversity lottery program, citing Valente's immigration history. 

"The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card," Noem wrote in a post on X.

"At President Trump's direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program," she added.  

Authorities stressed that the criminal investigation remains active as they continue reviewing evidence and witness statements related to both shootings.