Police have identified a suspect in the tragic mass shooting that occurred last weekend at Brown University and are exploring a potential connection to the murder of an MIT professor just two days later in a nearby suburb of Boston, according to a source close to the investigation.
The individual, who requested anonymity, did not elaborate on the details regarding the suspect’s identification or the rationale behind linking the two cases. On Thursday evening, law enforcement, including SWAT teams from Providence and Rhode Island State Police, concentrated their efforts on a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, approximately 20 miles from Boston, as part of this ongoing investigation.
The manhunt stemming from the shooting incident at Brown University, which left two students dead and eight others injured, has left the community in Providence anxious, as expressed by Mayor Brett Smiley. The tragic event unfolded in a classroom building, prompting a swift search for the assailant who fled on foot.
Just two days following the Brown shooting, MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, who was 47, was fatally shot in his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, located about 50 miles from the university’s campus. Initially, officials from the FBI stated they did not believe there was a connection between the two incidents, although this position is now being re-evaluated.
Professor Loureiro was a prominent member of MIT’s nuclear science and engineering, physics departments, and the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, showcasing his significant contributions to the academic community.
To aid their investigation, police in Providence have released images and surveillance footage of a masked man, believed to be the shooter. Relying on residential security footage due to a lack of cameras in the immediate area, they have appealed to the public for assistance in identifying him. The footage captured the suspect walking in the neighborhood before and shortly after the assault, coinciding with the arrival of police in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
“He could be anywhere,” noted Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez, highlighting the urgency and uncertainty surrounding the suspect’s identity and motives. In addition to the main suspect, police are looking to speak with another unidentified man spotted in the vicinity, who may possess valuable information regarding the incident.
Authorities briefly held a suspect in custody the day after the shooting but released him upon determining that he was not connected to the crime. The community remains on edge as investigators work diligently to unravel the complexities surrounding this disturbing case.
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