Both Deceased Students Identified in the Ivy League School Attack as Law Enforcement Continue Search for Killer.
Two students who lost their lives in the recent tragic incident in Providence were honored at the start of the week – amid a widespread hunt for their killer carried on following the freeing by local law enforcement of the sole person detained in connection in the case.
Remembering Ella Cook
The student Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, was remembered as “an amazing, stable, pious, radiant soul”, per the Birmingham's Cathedral Church of the Advent, which honored her memory at a service on Sunday.
Cook was second-in-command of Brown’s division of the College Republicans organization, the group said. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also expressed sympathies publicly, stating: “There are no words. Keeping in mind her family and friends, especially her parents.”
MukhammadAziz Umurzokov
The second fatality was MukhammadAziz Umurzokov from Uzbekistan, from Uzbekistan in his first year of studies at the renowned school, family members said.
His name was officially acknowledged by Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry.
“He was incredibly kind, funny, and smart. His ambitions were lofty of entering the field of neurosurgery and assisting patients,” his sister, Samira Umurzokova said in a tribute.
The Shooting Incident
Nine more persons were hurt in the violent event in the engineering building of Brown’s grounds in Providence, during the institution's end-of-term tests.
Law enforcement reported late Sunday that a 24-year-old male detained in a search at a lodging about approximately 17 miles from the university earlier in the day was released from custody.
“A perpetrator remains free,” stated the state's top prosecutor, Peter Neronha.
He continued, “Sometimes you head in one direction, and then you need to change course and go in another, and that’s exactly what has happened over the last approximately one day.”
Community Anxiety
Brett Smiley, Brett Smiley, acknowledged: “This will probably generate renewed concern for our community”.
The shooter discharged a weapon inside a room in the building on Saturday afternoon, firing more than 40 rounds from a handgun, a police source told the Associated Press.
Police that raided the hotel seized two handguns and magazines when the individual was arrested, the news agency reported.
Condition of the Injured
Among those wounded, a single scholar was allowed to go home, said the university president, Christina Paxson. Seven more were in serious yet stable state, and another was critically ill, authorities stated on Sunday.
An educational institution, a independent school in Durham, North Carolina, said a recent graduate, Kendall Turner, was among those critically wounded.
More Condolences
Tributes were paid to Cook at a memorial in Birmingham on Sunday. A reverend stated, “She shone as a remarkable, stable, devout beacon not only here growing up... but at Brown University she was a shining example in that specific location as well.”
A group leader, Martin Bertao, released remarks from the organization. “Ella was recognized for her fearless, heroic, and gentle spirit as she served her chapter and other students,” he said.
Jonathan Henick, Jonathan Henick, said he was “extremely sorrowful” by Umurzokov’s death in a message. “We extend our sincere condolences to Mr Umurzokov’s family, companions, and fellow students and grieve for of his promising future.”
National Context
Saturday’s killings at Brown, the seventh oldest in the US university with about thousands of bachelor's and postgraduate students, happened during one of at least 392 mass shootings recorded nationally so far in 2025, according to data. The following Monday was the 349th day of the year.
