Khaberni - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) confirmed the killing of the nuclear science and engineering professor, Nuno Loreriro, 47 years old, in a shooting incident that took place on Monday night inside his home.
The Portuguese scientist, who was Jewish, was known for his strong support for Israel. However, the motives behind his killing are still unclear, and it is unknown if his political views were a reason for his killing.
The Brooklyn Police said that officers responded to a shooting at an apartment on Gibbs Street around 8:30 PM.
Deputy Chief of Police, Paul Campbell, told WBZ-TV: "The victim was found with several gunshot wounds".
Loreriro was taken to a hospital in Boston, but he passed away on Tuesday morning. The authorities confirmed that the investigation is ongoing, and no suspects have been detained so far.
In a statement, Norfolk County District Attorney, Michael Morrissey, said, "The investigation into the murder is ongoing," while the Chief of Brooklyn Police, Jennifer Paster, emphasized that patrol cars and unmarked units will be deployed in the neighborhood to ensure the safety of the investigation.
Neighbors heard the gunfire, where one of them stated to CBS News, "I heard three loud shots" on Monday evening. Anne Greenwald, a resident of the area for 40 years, described the incident as "terrible and very frightening," confirming that Loreriro was living with his young family in the neighborhood.
A family friend, Yuridis Hersey, expressed her profound concern, saying: "It's a family experiencing a real sense of horror in front of an indescribable incident."
At the institute, where Loreriro had been working since 2016, students and colleagues expressed their shock. CBS quoted one of the students: "It's tragic and sudden, especially following the fatal shooting incident that occurred at Brown University during the weekend."
Loreriro had been appointed in May as the director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, one of MIT's largest laboratories, which includes more than 250 researchers, students, and staff members.
He was known for his research in fundamental plasma physics and astrophysical phenomena, such as solar flares, in addition to studying ways to exploit clean fusion energy to combat climate change.
This incident happened about three months after the death of the American activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed while trying to answer a question from an attendee about gun violence, according to video clips published online. The attendee asked Kirk, "Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the past ten years?", to which he smiled and replied, "Are you counting gang violence or not?", and at that moment the bullet that took his life was fired.
