OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
12:34 PM – Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Brown University Police Chief Rodney Chatman, who also serves as the Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management, has reportedly been placed on administrative leave, effective immediately, as the university conducts reviews of its security and response following the recent campus shooting.
Brown President Christina Paxson noted in a statement on Monday that the school has since asked former Providence Police Department Chief of Police Hugh T. Clements to step in and serve as interim Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police while Chatman is on leave.
Clements will oversee the ongoing standard After-Action Review, described as “an essential part of any recovery and response following a mass casualty event.”
“Chief Clements is nationally regarded for his expertise in community-oriented policing, having served as director of the federal Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for the U.S. Department of Justice,” Paxson stated. “He also is a former member of the Brown community after serving as a visiting fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs for more than four and a half years from 2018 to 2023. He will report directly to me during his interim leadership of the department.”
She continued, “This underscores our commitment to clear accountability, leadership continuity and a sustained focus on campus safety at a time when safety is a critical part of healing and recovery for our community.”
Paxson added that all but two of the nine injured victims have since been released from the hospital.
“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,” said the university’s president.
The shooting occurred on December 13th, resulting in the deaths of 19-year-old Ella Cook, a sophomore, and 18-year-old Mukkammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman.
Cook was an active member of the school, being vice president of the Brown College Republicans chapter, in addition to being a volunteer and member of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.
Umurzokov was attending Brown on a scholarship, with aspirations to become a neurosurgeon after going through his own brain surgery as a child. Prior to his acceptance into the university, Umurzokov and his family moved to Virginia from Uzbekistan.
The suspect, Claudfio Neves Valente, 48, a former student of Brown, was found dead a few days later from a self-inflicted gunshot following the shooting. His body was discovered in a New Hampshire storage facility, and authorities later found him to also be connected to the murder of MIT Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, which transpired two days later at the professor’s home in Massachusetts.
Law enforcement sources who reached out to the press stated that ballistic and investigative evidence support that the same suspect was responsible for both attacks.
The events leading up to the shooting have since drawn scrutiny due to the absence of clear security camera footage of the suspect, despite the university reportedly claiming to have over “1,200 surveillance cameras.” The lack of surveillance contributed to the multi-day manhunt.
Paxson emphasized in her statement that “an external comprehensive Campus Safety and Security Assessment of the Brown campus” would be conducted to tame any future worries, which includes a review of Brown’s cameras and technology. A committee of the Corporation of Brown University, the school’s “highest governing body,” will also select external organizations to conduct assessments.
“Additional security cameras will be installed across campus, including at Barus & Holley, as part of an overall effort to assess and address camera coverage across building entrances, common areas, circulation spaces and surrounding environments,” she stated.
Additionally, the Department of Education has since requested several documents from the university, including records of reported crimes and annual security reports.
“Students deserve to feel safe at school, and every university across this nation must protect their students and be equipped with adequate resources to aid law enforcement,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
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