Man who identified Brown shooter to receive nonprofit award

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Youth Peace And Justice Foundation said that “John,” the homeless man who identified Brown University shooter Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, would receive the nonprofit’s National Award for Heroism.

The foundation said that “John” seeking shelter in the basement of Brown’s Barus and Holley engineering building, and that he took note of Valente and later saw his license plate, which led police to identifying him as a suspect.

“Bravery and heroism can be found in the most unexpected places,” Youth Peace And Justice Foundation Founder Daniel Chapin said. “In this instance, an individual from our most vulnerable community stepped up to protect a university campus. While we celebrate this heroism, we must move beyond temporary fixes. We are calling for a firm political commitment to implement proven violence intervention models nationwide. We don’t need more empty funding; we need the political will to enact strategies that save lives.”

The foundation was founded after the 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.