On Monday, Brown University officials announced the administrative leave of their police chief as they respond to revelations about the December 13 campus shooting. The gunman involved in that incident went on to kill an MIT professor in Massachusetts just two days later.
Leadership Changes and Safety Initiatives
University President Christina Paxson informed the community that Rodney Chatman, who serves as vice president for public safety and chief of police, has been placed on leave effective immediately. "I understand the gravity of the concerns about safety that follow a tragedy of the magnitude that Brown has suffered," Paxson stated in her communication. "I want to assure you of Brown's deep commitment to take every possible action to increase the safety and security of our campus, with the goal of protecting our community from future harm."
Hugh Clements, former Providence Police Chief, will assume interim leadership of the university's police department. Clements previously directed the federal Office of Community Oriented Policing Services at the U.S. Department of Justice and served as a visiting fellow at Brown beginning in 2018.
Federal Investigation and Security Enhancements
Also on Monday, the U.S. Education Department launched an investigation into Brown's overall security measures and emergency response to the shooting. The university could potentially lose government-funded student aid if found in violation of federal campus safety standards.
Brown has outlined three primary initiatives to improve campus security. First, a rapid response team will implement immediate safety measures before the spring semester begins, including increased security personnel, surveillance cameras, and panic alarms. Second, an external "After-Action Review" of the December 13 shooting will be conducted under Clements' oversight, examining campus safety before, during, and after the incident. Third, a comprehensive assessment will evaluate existing safety policies, building perimeters, access points, and related infrastructure.
The Barus and Holley building, where two students were killed, will receive particular attention during security reviews. Both assessments will be overseen by a committee from the Corporation of Brown University, with key findings to be shared with the community and public.
Ongoing Investigation Details
These developments follow the discovery of the gunman, 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, found deceased in a New Hampshire storage unit. Investigators connected Valente to the subsequent killing of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, who was shot two days after the Brown incident. During their investigation, police learned that a university custodian had reported a suspicious man on campus weeks before the attack, later identified as Valente.
As of Monday morning, five of the nine students injured in the shooting remained hospitalized in stable condition, while four others had been discharged. "As we work to heal and recover, our primary focus is to nurture a thriving campus by attending to the psychological and social health of all members of our community while we also demonstrate that Brown is still Brown — a safe, inclusive, caring community of talented students and scholars and dedicated staff," Paxson wrote. "But this work begins with taking all steps to ensure that our campus is a safe place to work, live and learn. We are unwavering in this commitment."
