Body Camera Footage Released from Brown University Mass Shooting That Killed Two Students

Nearly two months after a gunman opened fire on students studying at Brown University's engineering building, killing two and injuring nine before murdering an MIT professor days later, Rhode Island authorities have released body camera footage showing the chaotic moments as police rushed to secure the Ivy League campus while victims lay wounded inside.

Twenty Minutes of Chaos and Confusion

The heavily redacted 20-minute video, obtained by ABC News through public records requests, captures Providence Police Department and Rhode Island State Police officers clearing the Barus and Holley Building on December 13, 2025, as they searched for an active shooter they couldn't yet identify.

"As of now, we have no idea who this person could be," one officer can be heard saying on the footage. They wouldn't learn the shooter's identity until days later, after he had killed again and then taken his own life.

The video shows a police officer directing colleagues to clear the building, telling people to get down, and the frantic moments just after the shooting when emergency responders realized the scale of casualties they faced. "We have multiple victims," a voice announces over police radio. "Let's get these rescues in," an officer responds.

The December 13 Attack: A Study Session Turned Deadly

On that Friday afternoon, students gathered in a study group at Brown's engineering and physics building—a routine occurrence during exam season at one of America's most prestigious universities. What should have been an ordinary study session became one of the deadliest campus shootings in recent Ivy League history.

The alleged killer, Claudio Neves Valente, opened fire on the group, killing two students and injuring nine others before fleeing the Providence campus. Authorities later determined he drove to Brookline, Massachusetts, where two days later he fatally shot MIT professor Nuno Loureiro at his home.

On December 18, five days after the Brown shooting, Neves Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a storage unit, ending a multi-state manhunt.

The Victims: Dreams Cut Short

Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, a U.S. dual citizen from Uzbekistan in his first semester at Brown, were identified as the students killed in the attack.

Cook, described by friends and family as passionate about engineering and dedicated to her studies, had chosen Brown for its strong engineering program and collaborative academic culture. Umurzokov had only recently arrived at Brown, beginning his American university education with the fall 2025 semester.

Nine other students sustained injuries in the shooting, some requiring extensive medical treatment. The newly released police report describes the emotional trauma survivors experienced when investigators showed them photographs of the suspected shooter for identification purposes.

Survivors' Trauma: Reliving the Horror

The police report, released alongside the body camera footage, contains stark new details about survivor interviews that reveal the lasting psychological impact of the attack.

When detectives showed a photograph of the suspect to one victim, according to the report, she "quickly froze, physically pushed back, and became emotional. She was observed to be tearing up and shaking. She then confirmed that the image showed the shooter."

Another survivor who had been in close proximity to the shooter when shot displayed visible signs of trauma during the identification process: "Upon observing these two photos, [the victim] 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."

These descriptions underscore the profound psychological wounds inflicted on survivors who not only endured the physical danger of an active shooter situation but must now process the trauma of having been targeted for violence while simply trying to study.

The 911 Calls: Panic and Professionalism

Newly released 911 recordings capture the moment when a Brown University Police Department officer contacted Providence Police as the situation unfolded.

"This is Brown University Police, we have confirmed gunshots at 184 Hope Street," the officer states with professional composure despite the chaos audible in the background. In the same recording, a woman can be heard reassuring a victim, telling them it will be okay.

The recordings reveal both the panic of those caught in the violence and the training that allowed first responders to maintain operational focus during a rapidly evolving crisis.

The Shooter: Claudio Neves Valente

Investigators have worked to piece together Neves Valente's background, motivations, and movements in the days surrounding the attacks. While authorities have not released comprehensive biographical information, sources indicated that a "lengthy grudge" motivated both the Brown shooting and the subsequent murder of MIT professor Loureiro.

The nature of this grudge and Neves Valente's specific connections to Brown University and MIT remain subjects of ongoing investigation, though authorities have suggested the attacks were targeted rather than random.

After the Brown shooting, Neves Valente evaded capture for five days, during which he traveled to Massachusetts and killed Loureiro before ultimately being found dead by his own hand in a storage unit. The multi-day manhunt raised questions about campus security protocols and communication between law enforcement agencies across state lines.

The MIT Connection: Professor Nuno Loureiro

Two days after the Brown shooting, on December 15, 2025, authorities discovered that MIT professor Nuno Loureiro had been fatally shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts. Initial investigations treated the killing as a separate incident before ballistics and other evidence linked it to Neves Valente and the Brown attack.

Loureiro, a respected physicist whose research focused on plasma physics and magnetic reconnection, was remembered by MIT colleagues as an exceptional scientist and dedicated educator. The targeting of a professor at a different institution suggested Neves Valente had multiple grievances across academic settings.

The connection between the Brown student victims and the MIT professor victim remains unclear, though investigators have indicated Neves Valente harbored resentments toward both institutions that developed over time.

Campus Response and Security Questions

The December 13 shooting prompted immediate questions about campus security measures, emergency notification systems, and the ability of university police to respond to active shooter situations.

Brown University deployed its emergency alert system during the attack, notifying students and faculty to shelter in place while police secured the campus. However, the shooting's rapid execution—occurring during a typical afternoon when the campus was fully active—left little time for preventive intervention.

In the weeks following the attack, Brown administrators announced enhanced security measures including increased police presence in academic buildings, upgraded building access controls, and expanded mental health resources for students processing trauma and fear.

The university also faced criticism from some students and parents who questioned whether existing security protocols adequately protected campus spaces where students regularly gather, particularly during high-stress periods like finals when academic buildings see heavy use at all hours.

The Broader Context: Campus Violence in America

The Brown shooting joins a troubling list of campus attacks that have shattered the sense of safety students expect at colleges and universities. While mass shootings at schools often focus public attention on K-12 institutions, college campuses have increasingly become targets for violence.

The open nature of most college campuses—designed to facilitate the free exchange of ideas and foster community—creates security challenges. Universities must balance maintaining welcoming, accessible academic environments with implementing security measures that can prevent or quickly respond to violent incidents.

Ivy League institutions like Brown have historically experienced lower rates of violent crime compared to many other universities, partly due to their smaller enrollments, selective admissions, and campus locations. The December attack shattered assumptions about safety at elite institutions and prompted security reviews across the Ivy League and other prestigious universities.

Public Records and Transparency

The release of body camera footage, police reports, and 911 recordings came in response to numerous public records requests filed in the days after the shooting. Under Rhode Island's Access to Public Records Act, media organizations and citizens can request documents and recordings related to police activity, though authorities may redact information to protect victim privacy, ongoing investigations, or investigative techniques.

The heavily redacted footage reflects this balance between public transparency and privacy protection. Victim identities are obscured, and portions of police communications remain withheld to avoid compromising investigative methods.

Transparency advocates argue that public access to such records allows independent scrutiny of police response and can identify areas for improvement in emergency procedures. Critics, however, note that releasing such materials can retraumatize survivors and victims' families who must relive the incident through media coverage.

The Investigation Continues

Despite Neves Valente's death ending the immediate threat, investigators continue examining his background, motivations, and potential warning signs that might have been missed. This work includes reviewing his personal communications, interviewing associates, and analyzing his movements in the days and weeks before the attacks.

Authorities seek to understand whether Neves Valente exhibited warning signs that might have enabled intervention, whether he communicated threats that went unreported, and whether existing threat assessment protocols might have identified him as a danger.

Rhode Island Attorney General's office, which released the body camera footage and other materials, continues to coordinate with federal authorities, Brown University, and MIT to compile a comprehensive understanding of the attacks.

Mental Health and Campus Support Services

The shooting has intensified focus on mental health resources available to college students, both for those recovering from trauma and for identifying students in crisis who might pose dangers to themselves or others.

Brown University significantly expanded its counseling services following the attack, hiring additional therapists and extending hours for crisis support. The university also implemented specialized trauma counseling for students directly affected by the shooting and offered support groups for the broader campus community processing collective grief and fear.

Mental health professionals note that campus shooting survivors often experience long-term psychological effects including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and difficulty returning to normal academic routines. Some students who survived the Brown shooting have taken leaves of absence to focus on recovery.

The Families' Perspective

For the families of Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, the release of body camera footage and police reports brings renewed attention to losses they continue grieving. Both families have largely avoided public statements, choosing to process their grief privately while allowing Brown University to serve as the primary public voice honoring their children's memories.

Memorial services held on Brown's campus in December drew hundreds of students, faculty, and community members who laid flowers, shared memories, and demanded action to prevent future campus violence. Photos of Cook and Umurzokov appeared on makeshift memorials outside the Engineering Research Center, surrounded by candles, notes, and symbols of remembrance.

National Implications: Campus Security Reform

The Brown shooting has prompted discussions at universities nationwide about security protocols, threat assessment, and the unique challenges of protecting open academic environments while preserving the collaborative culture essential to higher education.

Some institutions have implemented or expanded "behavioral intervention teams"—multidisciplinary groups that assess concerning student behavior and coordinate appropriate interventions before situations escalate to violence. Others have invested in physical security upgrades including access control systems, surveillance cameras, and direct communication lines between university police and academic departments.

However, security experts caution that no set of measures can entirely eliminate risk on college campuses, where hundreds or thousands of people move freely through shared spaces designed to facilitate interaction and learning. The challenge lies in implementing reasonable precautions without transforming campuses into fortress-like environments that undermine their educational mission.

Legal and Legislative Questions

The Brown shooting has raised questions about potential legislative responses at state and federal levels. Rhode Island lawmakers have begun exploring whether additional measures—such as enhanced reporting requirements for individuals expressing violent intentions, expanded background check systems, or additional resources for campus security—might help prevent similar incidents.

However, the specific circumstances of the Brown case—an attack apparently motivated by personal grievances rather than ideology, committed by someone who subsequently fled the state and committed additional violence before taking his own life—create challenges for crafting targeted policy responses.

The Road to Recovery

As Brown's campus community continues healing, the university faces the difficult task of honoring victims' memories while helping survivors and the broader community move forward. The spring 2026 semester began with enhanced security measures, expanded mental health services, and ongoing discussions about how to rebuild a sense of safety.

For students who survived the shooting, particularly those injured or present in the building, the release of body camera footage brings mixed emotions. Some view transparency as essential for understanding what happened and identifying opportunities for improvement. Others find renewed publicity retraumatizing, preferring to focus on recovery rather than reliving the attack through media coverage.

Remembering the Victims

Beyond the statistics, investigations, and security discussions, the Brown shooting ultimately represents the loss of two promising young lives and lasting trauma for a community.

Ella Cook's family remembers her passion for engineering, her dedication to helping others, and her excitement about the opportunities Brown offered. MukhammadAziz Umurzokov had traveled thousands of miles to pursue his educational dreams in America, only to have his life cut short in his first semester.

The nine students injured in the attack face their own journeys of physical and psychological recovery, some dealing with permanent injuries that will affect them throughout their lives.