PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Brown University released an external review concluding it was highly unlikely the institution could have prevented the December 2025 mass shooting at its Barus and Holley building, while simultaneously unveiling a new campus safety action plan. The university published the executive summary of the Teneo Risk report as part of its Safety and Security at Brown University: Overview and Action Plan on August 29, 2026.

The review addressed potential security measures, noting it is possible "more security patrols, stricter access control, and/or more comprehensive camera surveillance coverage" might have helped campus security identify and confront Neves Valente. However, Teneo’s review stated that given that investigators did not identify how Neves Valente entered Barus and Holley prior to the incident, it is not possible to do more than speculate whether any of these measures would have had an impact. The report further stated that "had Neves Valente not had access to Barus and Holley, he might have gone to another building on campus or targeted individuals outside."

Brown commissioned three external reviews examining the university’s actions before, during, and after the attack, as well as its broader campus safety and security program. Two of the reviews were conducted by Teneo Risk, while the third was by COSECURE, a national firm specializing in physical security. Brown University’s police chief was placed on leave after the shooting as officials reviewed its security policies. The interim police chief vowed to build a "stronger, sophisticated, and more resilient model of campus safety."

The university’s safety and security action plan includes improvements in governance and accountability; leadership, staffing, organization and training; emergency preparedness and protocols; and tools and technology. Brown University released a campus Safety and Security Action Plan organized into six categories: governance and accountability; leadership, staffing and training; emergency preparedness and protocols; tools and technology; partnerships with law enforcement and community organizations; and community outreach and engagement. Brown officials said many of the recommendations had already been completed or were being implemented before the reviews were finalized.

Brown Chancellor Brian T. Moynihan and President Christina H. Paxson wrote in a letter to the Brown community that the enduring contribution of the external reviews rests in the ways the findings will continue to strengthen Brown’s security model for the future. They added that while there currently are no mechanisms for colleges and universities to predict or prevent acts of mass violence by individuals committed to perpetrating such attacks, there are no words to express the depth of their commitment to bolster security and to deter threats to Brown to the fullest extent possible.

The review identified operational challenges during the incident. It found that the department’s limited staffing affected its ability to manage the emergency, with only two dispatchers on duty when the shooting broke out. As a result of having only two dispatchers on duty, the DPSEM Communications Center was not able to send out a Rave alert. The report cited specific university policies that hindered police operations, including the failure to sound the campus emergency siren to instruct the community to shelter in place. The report also noted a restriction preventing off-duty officers from carrying firearms and advised Brown to equip its police force with body-worn cameras.

Investigators found that Brown had been aware of nonthreatening suspicious activity in and around Barus and Holley before the shooting. A Brown custodian had reported seeing a suspicious person resembling the suspect in the Barus and Holley Building weeks before the shooting. The review concluded that the person seen by the custodian was likely Neves Valente, but found no evidence that the concern was reported to Brown’s Department of Public Safety & Emergency Management or to a custodial supervisor. The Providence Police Department’s investigation was slowed by delays in accessing Brown’s stored video footage.

Three Brown University freshmen sued the institution alleging the violence occurred "as a direct and proximate result of Brown’s" negligence. The plaintiffs claimed Brown did not properly respond to multiple warnings of Neves Valente’s suspicious behavior. The plaintiffs also claimed Brown did not properly secure and monitor the Barus and Holley building. Claudio Neves Valente attended Brown University for three semesters as a graduate student before taking a leave in 2001 and formally withdrawing in 2003.

Claudio Neves Valente was accused of shooting and killing 47-year-old MIT Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro in his Brookline home two days after the Brown University shooting. Claudio Neves Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a New Hampshire storage facility after about a week-long hunt.

Why It Matters

The release of the Teneo Risk review and the accompanying action plan represents a step in Brown University's response to the December 2025 tragedy. By concluding that prevention was highly unlikely, the university addresses legal and public scrutiny regarding its security protocols while outlining concrete steps for future improvement. The six-category action plan covers governance, staffing, emergency protocols, technology, partnerships, and community engagement, indicating a comprehensive approach to campus safety.

The simultaneous release of the City of Providence's review by the Police Executive Research Forum shows the multi-jurisdictional nature of the response. Identifying areas for strengthening mutual aid and communications reflects the complexity of coordinating between university and city resources during a crisis. These findings provide a baseline for ongoing improvements in emergency preparedness for both institutions.

Timeline

A mass shooting occurred at the Barus and Holley engineering and physics building on Brown University’s campus on Dec. 13, 2025. The shooter was Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old former Brown University Ph.D. student.

Two students, Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, were killed in the shooting. Nine other people were injured in the shooting. Teneo Risk found that Brown’s Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management officers "responded rapidly, effectively, and heroically to the December 13 shooting and performed as well as could be expected given the information they had and the tools available to them."

What's New

Mayor Brett Smiley said an independent review was requested because the people of Providence deserved an honest assessment of how their city responded to an unprecedented tragedy. The findings affirm that city police officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, dispatchers, emergency management professionals, and other City employees responded with courage, urgency, and professionalism when the community needed them most. The mayor added that every discussion of this response must begin with the people whose lives were changed forever. He also said the city’s commitment to preparedness is ultimately about protecting people and giving first responders every possible advantage when lives are at risk.

How Sources Differ

Brown University Safety and Security Action Plan: Brown University released a campus Safety and Security Action Plan organized into six categories: governance and accountability; leadership, staffing and training; emergency preparedness and protocols; tools and technology; partnerships with law enforcement and community organizations; and community outreach and engagement.