‘Reddit Detective Agency’ learned from past mistakes before crucial Brown University shooter tip
How Brown University shooter evaded cops for days before Reddit user cracked case
- Claudio Neves Valente evaded police for days before he was identified as the gunman who killed two and wounded nine at Brown University, and killed a professor at MIT.
- Initial AI-powered surveillance proved ineffective as Valente avoided facial recognition detection by obscuring his face with a medical mask, using a hard-to-trace phone, and changing rental car license plates.
- A breakthrough in the investigation came from a crucial tip provided by a local Reddit user, known only as John, who alerted police to a specific car, which Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha stated “blew this case right open.”
- John is being hailed as a hero after his tip led to police utilizing AI-powered Flock Safety cameras, which track vehicles, to trace Valente's car, revealing it had been spotted multiple times before the shooting.
- This incident contrasted sharply with the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, where Reddit users falsely accused individuals; this time, the Providence subreddit's moderation prevented similar harmful speculation.