A female Brown University shooting victim froze when detectives showed her a photo of the suspect, Claudio Neves-Valente, according to a newly released police report detailing the investigation.
The Providence Police Department on Monday released body camera footage showing officers’ response to the Dec. 13 mass shooting at the Ivy League school, along with audio recordings from emergency calls and radio traffic from the incident.
Portions of the materials were redacted following public records requests to protect the privacy of victims and witnesses.
As the investigation into the shooting unfolded, detectives showed still images of Neves-Valente taken from surveillance video to several shooting victims.
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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.
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“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.
