Harvard Law School has suspended a visiting professor after he allegedly fired a pellet rifle near a synagogue in Massachusetts on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
Carlos Portugal Gouvea, 43, was arrested Wednesday after police said he fired two shots near Temple Beth Zion in Brookline. Gouvea reportedly told officers he had been "hunting rats".
Investigators said they do not believe the synagogue was targeted, but Gouvea was charged in Brookline District Court with illegally discharging a pellet gun, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and malicious damage of personal property, court records show.
Police said the incident prompted a large response involving more than a dozen officers. Two private security guards stationed outside Temple Beth Zion reportedly heard "two loud shots" and spotted a man holding a pellet rifle. When they approached, Gouvea allegedly set down the gun, but a "brief physical struggle" ensued as they tried to detain him, according to the police account cited by Brookline.News.
Gouvea then reportedly fled into his nearby residence before emerging moments later, where he was handcuffed and arrested. Officers later found a shattered car window and a pellet lodged inside the vehicle.
The Harvard Crimson first reported Gouvea's suspension.
Gouvea, a Harvard Law School alumnus, earned his doctorate from the university in 2008. He also serves as an associate professor at the University of Sao Paulo Law School and leads a Brazilian think tank focused on social and environmental justice.
A spokesperson for Harvard Law School, Jeff Neal, told The NY Post that Gouvea "has been placed on administrative leave as the school seeks to learn more about this matter." The school has not announced any additional disciplinary measures.
Gouvea was arraigned Thursday and pleaded not guilty to all charges, the court docket shows. He was released on personal recognisance and is scheduled to return to court in early November.
This comes amid scrutiny of Harvard's handling of campus antisemitism. Jewish groups and federal officials say the university has failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students. The Trump administration threatened to withhold billions in federal funding unless reforms were made; Harvard has sued, calling the funding freezes "punitive and politically motivated," though both sides may be nearing a settlement.
