By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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Authorities near Boston said no suspect is in custody in the shooting death of an MIT professor at his home.
Nuno F. G. Loureiro, 47, died Tuesday morning at a local hospital after he was shot Monday night in Brookline, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.
"Our deepest sympathies are with his family, students, colleagues, and all those who are grieving," Sarah McDonnell, Deputy Director of MIT Media Relations, told Newsweek in a statement. "Focused outreach and conversations are taking place within our community to offer care and support for those who knew Prof. Loureiro."
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Why It Matters
The professor's death comes on the heels of another college shooting in recent days, at Brown University in Rhode Island's School of Engineering and Physics departments. Gun violence remains a primary public safety concern, especially after several high-profile shootings this year, including the assassination of Democratic Minnesota House Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband in their home and the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah.
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What To Know
The Norfolk District Attorney's Office told Newsweek that Massachusetts State Police officers responded to a call from the Brookline Police Department on Monday night, after reports of a man being shot on Gibbs Street.
Loureiro was taken to the hospital, but was pronounced dead Tuesday morning, the office said.
Loureiro was the director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center and a professor in the university’s nuclear science and engineering and physics departments, MIT said. The school said it is offering support services to students, colleagues and others affected by his death.
According to his MIT faculty biography, Loureiro studied in Portugal and London and completed postdoctoral work at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. He was previously a researcher at the Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion at IST Lisbon before joining MIT in 2016.
In January, the professor was among 11 MIT faculty members awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by former President Joe Biden, for his work on the generation and amplification of magnetic fields in the universe.
In June, Loureiro was quoted in an announcement from MIT on its new facility designed to accelerate research into fusion energy.
“LMNT is the start of a new era of fusion research at MIT, one where we seek to tackle the most complex fusion technology challenges on timescales commensurate with the urgency of the problem we face: the energy transition,” he said in a press release. “It’s ambitious, bold, and critical — and that’s exactly why we do it.”
What People Are Saying
Sarah McDonnell, Deputy Director of MIT Media Relations, told Newsweek in a statement: "There is an active and ongoing investigation underway, being led by the State Police assigned to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office with assistance from the Brookline Police and MIT Police. Out of respect for the integrity of this ongoing investigation, this is the extent of information from MIT."
Norfolk District Attorney's Office, in a statement to Newsweek: "This is an active and ongoing homicide investigation. No further information is being released at this time."
U.S. Ambassador to Portugal John J. Arrigo, in a statement on X: “I extend my deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Nuno Loureiro, who led MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. We honor his life, his leadership in science, and his enduring contributions.”
What's Next
NDAO is leading the investigation, with a suspect yet to be announced as of Tuesday evening.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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