Two Victims Identified in Brown University Incident as Police Persist in Manhunt for Perpetrator.
Two students who lost their lives in Saturday’s mass shooting on the university campus had tributes paid to them on Monday – amid a widespread hunt for their shooter persisted following the freeing by authorities in Rhode Island of the sole person of interest in the case.
Honoring a Lost Student
Ella Cook, a second-year scholar from Alabama, was remembered as “an incredible, grounded, faithful, bright light”, per the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Birmingham, which offered condolences for her at a ceremony on Sunday.
Cook was the vice-presidency of Brown’s division of the campus GOP group, as the club stated. Karoline Leavitt also posted words of sorrow online, remarking: “Words cannot express. Thinking of her loved ones and companions, above all her mom and dad.”
The Second Victim
The other person killed was an Uzbek national named MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, a citizen of Uzbekistan in his initial year at the renowned school, according to relatives.
The victim's identification was officially acknowledged by the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“He was exceptionally gentle, witty, and bright. He harbored grand aspirations of pursuing a career in neurosurgery and helping people,” Samira Umurzokova, his sister said in a tribute.
Details of the Attack
An additional nine individuals were hurt in Saturday’s attack in the engineering building of Brown’s university in Providence, during the school’s final exam period.
Law enforcement reported on Sunday evening that a 24-year-man taken into custody in a search at a Hampton Inn about 17 miles from the university earlier in the day was released from custody.
“We have a murderer out there,” said the state's top prosecutor, Peter Neronha.
He continued, “Occasionally a probe goes down a path, and then you have to regroup and go in another, and that’s exactly what has happened over the last day or so.”
Ongoing Concerns
Providence’s mayor, Brett Smiley, noted: “This will probably generate fresh anxiety for our public”.
The gunman discharged a weapon inside a classroom in the engineering building on Saturday, shooting over four dozen bullets from a 9mm handgun, a authority informed the Associated Press.
Police that raided the inn seized a pair of pistols and two loaded 30-round magazines when the suspect was detained, according to reports.
Condition of the Injured
Among those wounded, one pupil was released from the hospital, mentioned Christina Paxson, Christina Paxson. Seven more were in serious yet stable state, and one was in critical condition, authorities stated on Sunday.
An educational institution, a independent school in North Carolina, said a recent graduate, Kendall Turner, was one of the critically injured.
Further Tributes
Cook was honored at a church service in Birmingham on Sunday. A reverend stated, “She was an incredible, grounded, faithful bright light not only during her upbringing... but at Brown she was a radiant presence in that particular place as well.”
A group leader, Martin Bertao, shared a message from the organization. “She was famed for her bold, brave, and kind heart as she worked for her branch and other students,” he said.
Jonathan Henick, Jonathan Henick, said he was “extremely sorrowful” by the student's death in a tribute. “We offer our heartfelt sympathies to the Umurzokov family, loved ones, and fellow students and grieve for of his potential.”
Wider Picture
Saturday’s killings at Brown, the country's seventh most historic higher education institution with about thousands of bachelor's and 3,000 graduate students, took place amid one of at least 392 shooting incidents documented across the United States so far in 2025, according to statistics. That Monday marked the 349th day of the year.