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A former classmate of the suspect in the deadly Brown University shooting — and the subsequent killing of an MIT professor — remembers him as being “socially awkward” and “angry” during his years on campus.
Scott Watson, now a physics professor at Syracuse University, told Fox News he attended Brown with Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente in 2000 and described himself as his “only friend” at the time. Watson said the Portuguese national often complained about life in the U.S. and at the university.
“During his time at Brown, I was essentially his only friend. He was socially awkward, and so was I, which I think is why we connected,” Watson said. “During orientation he was sitting alone, and I walked up and said hello. He was terse at first, but we eventually broke the ice and became close.”
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Watson said Neves-Valente often expressed frustration with his coursework, claiming the classes at Brown were too easy for him.
“He often complained about moving to the United States and about the university,” Watson said. “He would say the classes were too easy — honestly, for him, they were. He already knew most of the material and was genuinely impressive.”
Even campus food was a source of irritation for Neves-Valente, according to Watson.
“I remember him getting irritated about the quality of food on campus, especially the lack of high-quality fish,” he said.
Watson also recalled Neves-Valente’s troubling behavior toward another student.
“We had another classmate that Claudio would insult and call him his slave. I had to break up a fight once,” Watson said.
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However, Watson said there were also moments when Neves-Valente seemed more calm.
“I have genuinely fond memories of dinners with him at a local Portuguese restaurant near campus,” he said. “There is a community there. He could be kind and gentle, though he often became frustrated — sometimes angry — about courses, professors and living conditions.”
The two last spoke when Neves-Valente decided to leave Brown, Watson said.
“The last time I spoke with him, we walked to his apartment and I tried to convince him not to leave. He refused, and that was the last time I heard from him,” he said. “He told me he was returning to Portugal, though it now appears that may not have been the case.”
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Neves-Valente, 48, was recently identified as the suspect in the Dec. 13 Brown University mass shooting, which left two students dead and nine others injured.
Authorities later confirmed he was also the suspect in the Dec. 15 fatal shooting of MIT nuclear science professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, who was found shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.
According to Brown University President Christina Paxson, Neves-Valente was a Portuguese national and former Brown student who studied physics from the fall of 2000 through the spring of 2001 before withdrawing from the program in 2003. He had no recent affiliation with the university at the time of the shooting on campus.
“I am shocked this has occurred,” Watson said.
FOX News’ Jennifer Johnson, Brooke Taylor and Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
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