Shootings

Tory Lanez is focused on being released from prison after 3 years into his 10-year sentence for his involvement in the 2022 Megan Thee Stallion shooting case ... because he believes there's new evidence to free him!!!

The embattled "Color Violent" artist gave his first broadcast interview from prison to NBC News this week and maintained his innocence ... citing the newly surfaced evidence is “overwhelming."

The evidence stems from Megan's recent defamation trial against blogger Milagro Gramz ... Tory is seeking the bullet fragments from the shooting that were never turned over, and Megan's medical records -- after Gramz's attorney discovered a document that wasn't originally identified in the 2022 trial.

Claudio Manuel Neves Valente -- the man accused of shooting up Brown University Saturday and then gunning down MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at his home Monday --used "sophisticated" tactics to hide his tracks as he attempted to conceal his horrifying actions.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Foley laid it all out in a press conference Thursday night, revealing Neves Valente likely used an untraceable phone and avoided using credit cards tied to his name. He is also said to have switched the Florida license plates of his rental Nissan to unregistered license plates from Maine within 24 hours of the Brown shooting, and before he killed Loureiro.

As for his connection to the MIT nuclear physicist, prosecutors say the pair attended the same academic program in Portugal between 1995 and 2000. Loureiro was found shot at his Brookline, Massachusetts home Monday and died Tuesday. The specific motive for murdering Loureiro remains unclear.

7:30 PM PST -- The deceased suspect in last weekend's mass shooting at Brown University has been identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old former Brown graduate student and immigrant from Portugal. He arrived in the United States in August 2000 as an F-1 student at Brown University and was enrolled in a doctoral program, according to authorities. However, he at some point withdrew from the university for an undisclosed reason. He obtained U.S. lawful permanent residency in April 2017.

The suspected gunman in the Brown University shooting was found dead in New Hampshire on Thursday night, federal law enforcement sources confirm to TMZ.

According to our law enforcement sources, the unidentified suspect was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a storage facility in Salem.

Investigators think there could be a link between the campus mass shooting at Brown University and the MIT professor who was later killed at his home -- and law enforcement is now digging into a possible connection, TMZ has learned.

A federal law enforcement source tells TMZ … federal, state and local authorities are now looking into whether the fields of physics and engineering are a factor in the murders linking the two cases. No suspects have been identified or apprehended in either case.

This is a major shift in the investigation -- especially since FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks said Tuesday there didn’t appear to be any connection between the two shootings.

Providence PD just released enhanced video of the new person of interest in the Brown University mass shooting -- and the portly man looks like he's just out for a casual walk in Rhode Island.

Check out the footage ... which shows the dude all bundled for his little stroll down the street, wearing a ski cap and a mask with a heavy jacket. At one point, he stops on a sidewalk in front of a white fence, turning his body from side to side as he scans the residential area.

Police say the now-clear video was recorded on the east side of Providence Saturday afternoon before an unidentified gunman went on a bloody rampage on the Brown campus, killing 2 students and injuring 9 others.

“Survivor” Season 48 contestant Eva Erickson narrowly dodged the gunman who opened fire at Brown University Saturday afternoon, but she says she's not overly worried about another shooting there.

Check out our interview -- the Ph.D. candidate says she feels "safe" while hunkered down at her off-campus residence in Providence, Rhode Island because she assumes the assailant is "long gone," reasoning ... "Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place." On the other hand, she notes the idea is "horrible" because it feels like the shooter has gotten away.

As you know, there's an intense manhunt for the gunman by local and federal authorities, and the FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information in the ongoing case. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told ABC News Monday authorities "continue to receive zero credible threats to our community, Brown or the broader community," which he's certainly caught some flack for as the suspect remains on the lam.

While Eva feels safe overall, she tells TMZ she and her peers have just as much information as the general public, and the lack of knowledge about the assailant has everyone "on edge." She is pining for the answers to simple questions -- how and how such a tragedy could have happened.

One thing she's sure of -- something needs to change. Eva says it's "insane" students are so vulnerable to gun violence in America, noting ... "I just wanted to go to school and learn and have this community and be safe. And now that's been taken from me." While she says she doesn't have the answers, she looks at lawmakers who are better equipped to advocate for gun safety regulations.

The hunt is officially on ... FBI agents are hot on the trail of the Brown University shooting suspect ... digging into one key lead -- the snow itself -- as they race for answers.

Check out these news clips ... FBI Director Kash Patel’s team was all over the snow in Providence, Rhode Island, lining up side by side and shuffling through yards with their feet. The G-Men are hoping to turn up anything that could help ID the suspect who went on a kill-crazy rampage Saturday with a gun on the Brown University campus. When the smoke cleared, 2 students were dead, and 9 others were injured.

As you can see, the FBI agents were fully locked in -- kicking through the snow, even grabbing onto trees at times to steady themselves on the slick, white-topped mini-hills, all in hopes of turning up any key piece of evidence.

Luigi Mangione doesn't know his fate yet in court ... but he does know his camera angles.

The man charged with murder in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson appeared camera-shy on the eighth day of pre-trial hearings Tuesday. He appeared to motion the courtroom photographer a little further back while being snapped.

Look at the pics ... at first he's visibly uncomfortable, shielding his face and stretching his arms out to suggest a little distance.

2:45 PM PT -- Authorities gave a public update to Saturday's Brown University campus mass shooting case in a Monday afternoon press conference shortly after releasing new images and videos of a person of interest in the case … who remains at large.

Investigators asked for the public's help in identifying the person, seen clad in black, wearing a face mask, walking near the campus on Saturday.

FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X the agency is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

Police in Rhode Island just released new surveillance footage of a person of interest in Saturday's mass shooting at Brown University.

The video shows a person, dressed in all black, walking down Waterman Street near the corner of Hope Street ... a couple blocks away from the Ivy League campus.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha says investigators believe the person in the video is the same as the person seen in different surveillance footage ... according to CNN. The person is still unidentified.

At least 15 people were left dead after a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, Australia, Sunday ... and TMZ has disturbing video capturing the terrorist attack as it unfolded.

In the footage ... beachgoers are seen shielding each other as shots ring out above them. Clutching chairs and anything they can to hide themselves from the attackers, families are heard screaming and frantically calling out to each other as the chaos rolls on.

Police sirens are heard faintly in the distance, but still too far away to offer any protection against the predators hunting them down.

8:40 PM PT -- In a major twist ... Authorities are releasing the person of interest in the Brown University mass shooting because they had "some degree of evidence" against him, but the "evidence now points in a different direction," according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

The person of interest taken into custody in connection to the Brown University shooting is reportedly a 24-year-old with U.S. Army training.

CNN -- citing multiple law enforcement sources -- has identified the person of interest as Benjamin Erickson ... a man from Wisconsin who served in the army from 2021 to 2024, according to his LinkedIn profile, which has been taken down.

Erickson reportedly passed sniper training, worked in firearms instruction and ultimately left the military after having attained the rank of Specialist.

A shocking new video has emerged from the Bondi Beach terror attack, and it shows a jaw-dropping moment when a bystander calmly disarms one of the gunmen in the middle of the chaos.

In the clip, a man walks straight up to one of the gunmen, showing zero hesitation. The bystander reaches down, pulls the weapon right out of the shooter's hand, and then -- in a wild twist -- points the gun back at the suspect.

A person of interest was taken into custody Sunday morning in connection with Saturday's mass shooting at Brown University that left 2 students dead and many others injured, according to police.

Cops have not released the man's name or details about the arrest ... but CNN says one of its news crews witnessed heavy police activity connected to the shooting at a hotel in Providence, RI.

The big break in the case came after police released video of the alleged gunman fleeing the crime scene after going on a shooting rampage inside Barus & Holley Engineering building while students were studying for finals Saturday afternoon.

1:12 PM PT -- Australian officials have just given an update on the victim count ... announcing 15 people have been killed while more than 40 are injured. The situation is fluid and those numbers are subject to change.

Australia's Bondi Beach turned into a nightmare Sunday evening when gunmen opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration ... killing at least 12 people, including one of the gunmen, and injuring 29 more in what leaders are calling a cowardly and targeted attack on the Jewish community.

The chaos erupted as hundreds gathered for Chanukah by the Sea, a family-friendly celebration of the first night of the holiday. Instead, beachgoers were sent screaming and sprinting for their lives as gunshots echoed over the sand.

According to officials, the attackers positioned themselves on a pedestrian bridge overlooking Bondi Park before unleashing a hail of bullets onto the crowd gathered near the playground.

Tyler Robinson -- the 22-year-old man who prosecutors say murdered Charlie Kirk -- made his first in-person court appearance Thursday.

Robinson's father, mother and brother were present as both sides were able to come to an agreement with regard to the degree of media access granted throughout the ongoing court proceedings.

Conservative commentator Tim Pool says someone opened fire on his West Virginia home last week ... but, we've spoken to police, and they say they can't corroborate his story.

Here's the deal ... on Saturday, Pool wrote on X that a vehicle approached his house the previous evening and opened fire ... though he adds no one was injured in the alleged shooting.

Pool said his security was looking into the incident and would relay information to the proper authorities in due course ... before later posting, "My immediate thoughts is someone was trying to scare us. But we have a security gate and armed guards and its possible this deterred something more serious."