Brown University custodian told security suspicious man was ‘casing’ building weeks before shooting: report

A Brown University custodian claims helium saw the shooting fishy astir a twelve times successful the weeks earlier the Dec. 13 onslaught connected field and adjacent alerted a field information guard.

Derek Lisi told The Boston Globe that helium noticed a antheral pacing the hallways astatine the Barus and Holley engineering and physics building, looking into classrooms and adjacent astatine 1 constituent ducking down a bath successful bid to debar being seen. In total, 2 were killed and different 9 radical were injured connected Dec. 13. Five victims stay astatine Rhode Island Hospital successful unchangeable condition. 

When constabulary shared pictures of the Brown University shooting suspect, Lisi recognized him, saying, "He’d been casing that spot for weeks."

Lisi told the outlet that helium saw a antheral matching police's statement of the suspect, identified arsenic 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, connected astir 10 occasions dating backmost to aboriginal January.

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Derek Lisi, a Brown University custodian, is pictured successful Lincoln, Rhode Island, connected Dec. 21, 2025. He said helium saw the alleged wide shooter connected field astir 10 times successful the weeks starring up to the attack. (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

"I knew determination was thing disconnected with him," Lisi said.

In mid-November, Lisi told a information defender astatine Brown University that helium saw the antheral "circling the hallways." He said the antheral was consistently hanging astir and peeking into country 166 astatine the building, wherever the eventual shooting took place. 

Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov were some killed successful the shooting. Cook, 19, served arsenic the vice president of the Brown University College Republicans.

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A instrumentality enforcement authoritative walks past articles of covering connected a sidewalk adjacent an entranceway to Brown University, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, successful Providence, R.I., during the probe of a shooting. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)

Cook was laid to remainder successful Birmingham, Alabama, connected Monday morning.

"I said, ‘Something’s disconnected with this guy, truthful I gotta accidental something,’" Lisi recalled reasoning erstwhile helium saw the antheral connected Dec. 1 earlier going connected vacation. "I told my friend, ‘I anticipation it’s not the feline I’ve been seeing. I anticipation it’s not."

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The shooting happened wrong a schoolroom successful the Barus and Holley engineering gathering astir 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. Two students were killed, and 9 students were wounded.  (Gregory Norman-Diamond)

Lisi said helium spoke with Providence Police connected Dec. 15.

The custodian claimed that the Barus and Holley engineering and physics gathering has been "a free-for-all for a agelong time."

"Anybody could conscionable travel in," helium added.

Fox News Digital reached retired to Brown University for comment.