How a Reddit post helped police find vital clues in the Brown University shootings

An amateur detective was the one who helped police in Rhode Island lead a major search for the Browns University shooter—because he posted information about his encounter with the man on Reddit.

A social media sleuth helped police track down the prime suspect in the Brown University shootings — and it’s all thanks to Reddit. The tip, provided by an anonymous Reddit user using the alias ‘John’, assisted police in properly reopening the case.

Claudio Neves Valente – a Portuguese national who previously studied at the University of Providence,

Rhode Island – was found dead on Thursday (December 18) following an intensive search. The 48-year-old man was discovered with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a storage unit in Salem.

The discovery took place in Salem, New Hampshire, approximately 80 miles north of the city that houses the Ivy League school.

After authorities released video and images of a person of interest, which were taken hours before the fatal shooting that killed two people and injured nine others,

The FBI was seeking a ‘built-bodied’ male, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, who ‘John’ said he recognised.

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Police got the help of an amateur detective on Reddit who provided them with information about the shooter. (Image: AP)

John wrote, “I’m being very serious. The police need to look at a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental. That was the car he was driving.

It was parked in front of the little cottage behind the Rhode Island Historical Society on the Cook St side. I know because he used his keys to open the car, approached it, and then something made him step back.

“When he backed off, he locked the car again. I thought it was strange, so when he went around the block, I approached the car and that’s when I saw the Florida plates.

It was parked in the lot between the RIHS gate and the corner of Cook and George Sts.”

Police then reviewed CCTV footage and discovered the grey Nissan, which had a Florida licence plate that John flagged as suspicious, according to Sky News.

Investigators then used surveillance cameras to track the vehicle’s travels, with the car being seen driving toward a Boston suburb and later headed to a storage facility in Salem.

Authorities reported that Valente had altered the licence plates on his car to conceal his identity. John later told police that around 1:45 p.m. The day of the incident,

He encountered the masked man inside the bathroom facilities of the Baras and Holley building, where the shooting occurred.

‘John’ then explained that he felt “concerned” when he saw the man’s clothes, which were “inappropriate and inadequate for the weather.”.

He then began following the alleged shooter through the area – before noticing his parking spot and inspecting the contents of his vehicle.

He observed ‘two fanny-style bags on the rear floorboard of the passenger side’ and continued to pursue the suspect, who eventually accused John of ‘harassing’ him.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said at a news conference Thursday: “We had a photo of that second guy, and within an hour, no more than two, that person came to two Providence police officers. He absolutely blew this case open.

“When you uncover the truth, you uncover the truth.”

“That person led us to the car, which led us to the name, which led us to photos of the person who rented the car, which matched the clothes of our shooter in Providence,

which matched the satchel.” Then, just two hours after their encounter, firing took place on the university campus.