Two Victims Identified in the Providence Campus Attack as Police Press On With Hunt for Gunman.
The pair of scholars who died in Saturday’s violent attack at Brown University were honored at the start of the week – amid a widespread hunt for their shooter persisted following the freeing by local law enforcement of the only individual of interest in the case.
Honoring a Lost Student
Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, was described as “an incredible, grounded, faithful, bright light”, per the Birmingham's Cathedral Church of the Advent, which offered condolences for her at a ceremony on Sunday.
She served as vice-president of Brown’s chapter of the campus GOP group, the group said. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also expressed condolences online, remarking: “Words cannot express. Keeping in mind her loved ones and companions, particularly her mother and father.”
MukhammadAziz Umurzokov
The other person killed was an Uzbek national named MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, a citizen of Uzbekistan in his freshman year at the prestigious university, his family confirmed.
The victim's identification was confirmed by the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“He was incredibly kind, funny, and smart. His ambitions were lofty of becoming a neurosurgeon and helping people,” Samira Umurzokova, his sister said in a online post.
What Happened
Nine more persons were wounded in the violent event in the engineering department of Brown’s grounds in Providence, during the school’s final exam period.
Officials stated by the end of Sunday that a man aged 24 detained in a police operation at a Hampton Inn about 17 miles from the campus earlier in the day was released from custody.
“There is a killer at large,” said Rhode Island’s attorney general, Peter Neronha.
He continued, “Sometimes you head in one direction, and then you must reassess and pursue a different angle, and that’s exactly what has happened over the last 24 hours or so.”
Community Anxiety
Providence’s mayor, Brett Smiley, acknowledged: “It is expected to provoke renewed concern for our city”.
The assailant discharged a weapon inside a lecture hall in the engineering building on over the weekend, firing more than 40 rounds from a 9mm handgun, a police source reported to the news agency.
Police that entered the lodging recovered two handguns and two loaded 30-round magazines when the suspect was arrested, according to reports.
The Wounded Victims
Regarding the nine injured, a single scholar was released from the hospital, said Christina Paxson, Christina Paxson. Seven others were in critical but stable condition, and another was critically ill, officials reported on Sunday.
Durham Academy, a private academy in North Carolina, said a recent graduate, Kendall Turner, was one of the critically injured.
Further Tributes
Cook was honored at a religious service in Birmingham on Sunday. A pastor commented, “She was an incredible, grounded, faithful bright light not only in her youth... but at Brown she was a shining example in that specific location as well.”
A group leader, Martin Bertao, released remarks from the group. “She was famed for her fearless, heroic, and gentle spirit as she aided her club and other students,” he said.
An American diplomat, Jonathan Henick, said he was “deeply saddened” by the passing of Umurzokov in a message. “Our profound condolences go out to his relatives, friends, and peers and grieve for of his bright future.”
National Context
The fatal shooting at Brown, the seventh oldest in the US university with about thousands of bachelor's and 3,000 graduate students, took place amid one of at least nearly 400 mass shootings reported in the US so far in 2025, according to statistics. The following Monday was the 349th day of the year.