BROOKLINE, Mass. — Neighbors in Brookline are shaken as police search for clues after a prominent Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor was fatally shot inside the building where he lived on Monday night.
Authorities say 47-year-old Nuno Loureiro, a professor of Nuclear Science, Engineering, and Physics at the Cambridge school, was shot around 8:30 p.m. in the foyer of his Gibbs Street building.
Loureiro was rushed to a local hospital, where he later died, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.
On Gibbs Street, investigators were seen Tuesday going door-to-door, speaking with potential witnesses and collecting surveillance video.
One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, described hearing the gunfire.
“I heard three loud bangs. I thought it was somebody in our apartment kicking in the door or something,” the neighbor told Boston 25 News. “It’s really a surprise—and a shooting in a state where it’s hard to have a gun?”
Loureiro also served as Director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, a key hub for research in nuclear fusion.
In a statement, MIT said, “Our deepest sympathies are with his family, students, colleagues, and all those who are grieving.”
Neighbors are wondering whether Loureiro was targeted—and some expressed frustration over the lack of information.
“After what happened at Brown University—a professor being shot there and here—maybe there’s a connection," Lloyd Rosenthal said. “Not sure, but it’s scary to be in Brookline. It’s supposed to be a safe time, and no one’s talking.”
Anne Greenwald added, “It’s terrible. I don’t know what happened or why it happened. It’s very scary. We’re living in such terrible times right now. Violence seems to be happening everywhere.”
Authorities have not released any details about a suspect or motive.
When asked if Loureiro’s death was linked to the mass shooting at Brown University, Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Boston, squashed any connection.
“At this time, there seems to be no connection,” Docks said during a Tuesday update on the Brown investigation.
Massachusetts State Police and Brookline police are investigating the killing of Loureiro.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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