RI - Mass Shooting at Brown University - Providence 13 Dec 2025

[ilgirl]

If the McD worker had called the tippling instead of 911 it would have been incredibly irresponsible, imo. The tippling is not ready to immediately send squad cars and arrest the suspect.

I agree. Calling a tip line would not be close to as fast as calling 911.

Also, from what I've read, it looks like she's still eligible for it after he gets convicted.

 

[Dotta]

I was falsely accused of being the Brown shooter and doxxed

Before authorities identified who the Brown University shooter was, online sleuths said it was Mustapha Kharbouch, a student who had nothing to do with the fatal attack.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[airportwoman]

I will say I can see now with his clothing that he likely has layers of pants on and many who are homeless do this. It is so easy to find yourself homeless. If you lose your place to live and can't afford a deposit and first/last rent, it can be difficult. If you don't hvae a place where do you put any stuff you have? Things can go downhill very fast so this person could have had a job and just lost their home, and things spiral if you can't get back on your feet.

IMO

Or he put on multiple layers of clothing to throw off his description, and/or he could shed blood-stained clothing afterwards.

 

[99cats]

It's so interesting to me that CV's coworker at Sapo described him as a "sweetheart" and "extraordinarily approachable", and how that doesn't align with the descriptions from his university peers. Why was CV so unpleasant at Brown and his undergrad, yet so "approachable" when he was at Sapo? It seems like many accounts from people who knew CV in academia describe him as egotistical or narcissistic, and I can’t help but wonder how much of that assessment is notable only in retrospect.

I'm thinking back to my own doctoral program, and if LE had questioned me about a quarter of my cohort, I probably would have offered similar descriptions. This seems glib, but narcissism and superiority complexes can run rampant in certain graduate programs, and in some ways they’re culturally reinforced. Many students are accustomed to being the biggest fish in the pond, and when they're in a tank with other big fish that can foster intense competition that can become bitter and uncomfortable, with many seeking to 'prove their worth'. Some spent every waking hour researching, attending department events, or working TA positions.. and their sense of self became tightly interwoven with their academic standing. Any academic setback—minor or even simply perceived—was treated as personal and a sort of injustice done of them. It wasn't even necessarily a cut-throat environment but rather the outcome of a grouping together folks predisposed toward competition—people used to being the smartest person in the room, all vying for a pathway to get a rare TT position at some point in the distant future.

However, none of my former classmates went on to kill anyone; and obviously this culture doesn't organically spring up in every department at every university. But, I think this is all to say that I'm not entirely convinced that CV's egotism and disdain presented a significant barrier to his success in academia - I don't think it's an uncommon set of traits - and there's very likely more to it than that. Whatever it was presented itself while he was studying, but apparently not when he was working in IT.

I think it's entirely possible that CV lived an average, stable life outside of academia before something set him off (perhaps Prof. Loureiro's promotion or presidential award?)

 

[ilgirl]

DBM

 

[ilgirl]

It's so interesting to me that CV's coworker at Sapo described him as a "sweetheart" and "extraordinarily approachable", and how that doesn't align with the descriptions from his university peers. Why was CV so unpleasant at Brown and his undergrad, yet so "approachable" when he was at Sapo? It seems like many accounts from people who knew CV in academia describe him as egotistical or narcissistic, and I can’t help but wonder how much of that assessment is notable only in retrospect.

I'm thinking back to my own doctoral program, and if LE had questioned me about a quarter of my cohort, I probably would have offered similar descriptions. This seems glib, but narcissism and superiority complexes can run rampant in certain graduate programs, and in some ways they’re culturally reinforced. Many students are accustomed to being the biggest fish in the pond, and when they're in a tank with other big fish that can foster intense competition that can become bitter and uncomfortable, with many seeking to 'prove their worth'. Some spent every waking hour researching, attending department events, or working TA positions.. and their sense of self became tightly interwoven with their academic standing. Any academic setback—minor or even simply perceived—was treated as personal and a sort of injustice done of them. It wasn't even necessarily a cut-throat environment but rather the outcome of a grouping together folks predisposed toward competition—people used to being the smartest person in the room, all vying for a pathway to get a rare TT position at some point in the distant future.

However, none of my former classmates went on to kill anyone; and obviously this culture doesn't organically spring up in every department at every university. But, I think this is all to say that I'm not entirely convinced that CV's egotism and disdain presented a significant barrier to his success in academia - I don't think it's an uncommon set of traits - and there's very likely more to it than that. Whatever it was presented itself while he was studying, but apparently not when he was working in IT.

I think it's entirely possible that CV lived an average, stable life outside of academia before something set him off (perhaps Prof. Loureiro's promotion or presidential award?)

I'd like to know more about what that stable life might have been in the U.S. since 2017. It doesn't seem like almost anyone has come forward as having known him or worked with him.

 

[knla]

There's big money involved in what Professor Nuno Loureiro was involved with at MIT. A company Commonwealth Fusion Systems CFS, that was spun off from MIT, has raised over 4 billion dollars and is close to commercializing Fusion energy. They have a contract with Google to provide energy from a facility they are going to build in Virginia. Fusion energy is low cost and clean.

Funding the fusion revolution

Only several years ago, few could imagine a short-term path to widespread commercialization of fusion energy. Research was largely sustained by government funding, and the technology was widely seen as perpetually decades away from commercial viability. “If you walked into a room of fusion...

energy.mit.edu

 

[indicolite22]

Brown University shooter Claudio Neves Valente took at least four trips up to Boston this year, with each visit getting longer than the last, The Post has learned.

Brown University shooter made multiple trips to Boston for surveillance before deadly attack: sources

It shows an extensive amount of pre-planning and surveillance, a law enforcement source told The Post.

nypost.com

His trips:

• February 13-15
• April 8-25
• October 26-November 16
• November 17-26
• December 1-?

The first visit came a month after NL received an award.

 

[Lebowski]

There's big money involved with what Professor Nuno Loureiro was involved with at MIT. A company Commonwealth Fusion Systems CFS, that was spun off from MIT, has raised over 4 billion dollars and is close to commercializing Fusion energy. They have a contract with Google to provide energy from a facility they are going to build in Virginia. Fusion energy is low cost and clean.

Funding the fusion revolution

Only several years ago, few could imagine a short-term path to widespread commercialization of fusion energy. Research was largely sustained by government funding, and the technology was widely seen as perpetually decades away from commercial viability. “If you walked into a room of fusion...

energy.mit.edu

i am personally skeptical any of these fusion startups is going to go anywhere. at a technical level, practical fusion still has a long way to go. private sector can make technology more practical and efficient once it's reached a certain maturity level, but, before that, you need public funding push it along. fusion's still a few decades away from that threshold. AIUI, few if any of these startups are even producing any neutrons in their experiments.

that said, there is money to be made in telling venture capitalists you're going to make a profitable fusion reactor, whether you deliver it or not.

 

[indicolite22]

"He was bored because he knew more than any of us, he already should've had a PhD," Watson said. "He hated Brown and he hated Providence."

Ex-classmate of Brown University shooter said he 'hated' school and city

He said Neves Valente complained that the classes at Brown University were too easy and left the program early on.

www.wcvb.com

 

[Charlot123]

So far nobody gave any indication that he had (or tried to have) a social life. He kept to himself in school and at work. To cut off his parents seems extreme. Were they controlling?

We don’t know yet. I'd expect, parents were overly protective of their only gifted child.

But imagine they were not controlling. The general trend: pushing the kids is to perform academically, to get into prestigious STEM schools. But maybe for a shy, introverted person, it is better socially to stay in regular high school and not break old friendships? Just hire him good tutors instead. The answer is always in the negative, "let him graduate with the best grades ever and get into the best college, and then his life is set".

Then the kid departs to a good college, to realize that people around him are as smart as he is, but more social, and he can't get friends. Some start partying. But frequently, depression sets in and kids drop out of schools.

And these kids often end up being angry with their parents, because they feel lied to. They were promised all the good things (girlfriends, friends) "later", but it never happened. (Just in 2020es: the kids who invested a lot into STEM, may not even have the jobs they expected in their cards).

In many families, one parent is not social, and the other one is. IMHO, for the introverted kids it is generally better if the mom is social because then she invites friends into the house and friends bring own kids so there is exposure to normal communication. A good option would be to enroll shy kids into drama classes in summer, but instead, everyone adds up more coding schools.

So i wonder if something similar happened to CV. The parents did not pay attention to his lack of social skills in school and then sent him off to a prestigious college. They likely bought him a condo, "he is an adult, he needs to date", but being socially awkward, he'd bring no one there. I think he was a show-off in classes because it was an immature way to attract attention and get friends, btw.

The ideal example of why early social development matters. This man was the smartest Harvard graduate ever. And how did he end?

William James Sidis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So in short, I think CV was angry with the parents because what they promised, failed. His failure in life was due to profound lack of social skills. Somehow he blamed it on them.

 

[99cats]

Brown University shooter Claudio Neves Valente took at least four trips up to Boston this year, with each visit getting longer than the last, The Post has learned.

Brown University shooter made multiple trips to Boston for surveillance before deadly attack: sources

It shows an extensive amount of pre-planning and surveillance, a law enforcement source told The Post.

nypost.com

His trips:

• February 13-15
• April 8-25
• October 26-November 16
• November 17-26
• December 1-?

The first visit came a month after NL received an award.

I wonder why he left Boston on November 16th just to return a day later. Did he fly all the way back to Florida and back to Boston?

It is really interesting to me why he left Boston on November 26th (with the 27th being Thanksgiving, so the 26th is one of the most expensive and busiest days to fly). I know many European expats in America don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so I'm curious if he had someone he celebrated with. It sounds like he was socially isolated and a loner, but what a weird day to choose if he had an open schedule.

Another possibility is that he had a pet he had to feed, and he had someone watching them that needed to visit family for thanksgiving and/or take a break on November 16/17.

 

[Lusitana]

I am really sad for his poor parents. If they want to bury him in Portugal, which I bet they will, it's going to be expensive and will probably take a long time.

 

[Charlot123]

It's so interesting to me that CV's coworker at Sapo described him as a "sweetheart" and "extraordinarily approachable", and how that doesn't align with the descriptions from his university peers. Why was CV so unpleasant at Brown and his undergrad, yet so "approachable" when he was at Sapo? It seems like many accounts from people who knew CV in academia describe him as egotistical or narcissistic, and I can’t help but wonder how much of that assessment is notable only in retrospect.

I'm thinking back to my own doctoral program, and if LE had questioned me about a quarter of my cohort, I probably would have offered similar descriptions. This seems glib, but narcissism and superiority complexes can run rampant in certain graduate programs, and in some ways they’re culturally reinforced. Many students are accustomed to being the biggest fish in the pond, and when they're in a tank with other big fish that can foster intense competition that can become bitter and uncomfortable, with many seeking to 'prove their worth'. Some spent every waking hour researching, attending department events, or working TA positions.. and their sense of self became tightly interwoven with their academic standing. Any academic setback—minor or even simply perceived—was treated as personal and a sort of injustice done of them. It wasn't even necessarily a cut-throat environment but rather the outcome of a grouping together folks predisposed toward competition—people used to being the smartest person in the room, all vying for a pathway to get a rare TT position at some point in the distant future.

However, none of my former classmates went on to kill anyone; and obviously this culture doesn't organically spring up in every department at every university. But, I think this is all to say that I'm not entirely convinced that CV's egotism and disdain presented a significant barrier to his success in academia - I don't think it's an uncommon set of traits - and there's very likely more to it than that. Whatever it was presented itself while he was studying, but apparently not when he was working in IT.

I think it's entirely possible that CV lived an average, stable life outside of academia before something set him off (perhaps Prof. Loureiro's promotion or presidential award?)

SAPO - different situation. Not competing with other smart and also, more social men. It is a situation when a female coworker approaches him for help (already admitting that he is better than her), and he does his best, maybe even "peacocking" a little bit, in the hope that she'll say, "oh, you are so bright!" Maybe he hoped that one of them would ask him out, too?

I suspect that better social skills of another smart peer (Nuno) CV interpreted as "an act" because CV didn't understand that people behave like this in the community. Maybe all it was about was "I know him, he is not even smart, he is a liar, this is who society needs". In a way, same about Brown, because he'd view Brown social communities he didn't belong to as "not even smart and pretentious"...something like it.