‘Both were brilliant and beloved’: Brown University students identified as victims in campus shooting

Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov were killed in the campus shooting.

The two victims killed in Saturday’s shooting at Brown University have been identified as beloved students at the Ivy League school with “amazing promise” that was cut far too short.

Ella Cook, of Alabama, was a sophomore at Brown, and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, a U.S. dual citizen from Uzbekistan, was in his first semester, school officials said.

“These were two young people whose amazing promise was extinguished too soon,” Brown University President Christina Paxson said in a letter to the school community on Tuesday.

“Both were brilliant and beloved — as members of our campus community, but even more by their friends and families. Our hearts continue to be with them in their profound sorrow,” she said.

Ella Cook, pictured in this undated photo, was identified by her church as one of two people killed in a mass shooting, Dec. 13, 2025, at Brown University in Providence, R.I.
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Cook, from Mountain Brook, Alabama, was a “passionate and intellectually curious member of our community who was interested in French and Francophone studies,” Paxson said.

She was a beloved member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and the vice president of the Brown University College Republicans, school officials said.

“Ella was known for her bold, brave, and kind heart as she served her chapter and her fellow classmates,” Martin Bertao, president of College Republicans of America, said in a social media post.

The sophomore was a parishioner at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham. The church’s Rev. Craig Smalley called Cook an “incredibly grounded and generous and faithful” and a “bright light” in the church and in her community during his service on Sunday morning.

“She was engaged and involved in our worship and in our community, and as she served here at the church and in the wider community, in all sincerity, just a tremendous and bright light in there at Brown University as well, in the time that she was there, was such a light and such a witness,” Smalley said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also posted a statement about Cook on social media, writing, “There are no words. Thinking of her family and friends, especially her parents. God please bless them.”

Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, pictured in this undated photo shared in a GoFundMe post by his family, was identified as one of two people killed in a mass shooting, Dec. 13, 2025, at Brown University in Providence, R.I.
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Vice President JD Vance offered his condolences for the loss of Umurzokov, calling him a “brilliant young man who dreamed of being a surgeon.”

Umurzokov, who graduated from Midlothian High School in Virginia, planned to concentrate in biochemistry and molecular biology, according to Paxson.

“His friends and family have spoken of his clear commitment to serving others,” Paxson said, saying he was “known for being driven, conscientious and disciplined.”

In a mournful letter sent to her students obtained by ABC News, Umurzokov’s chemistry teacher, Brenda Rubenstein, said he was an “exceedingly bright student” who was “deeply caring and sociable.”

“It is deeply tragic to lose him,” Rubenstein said, urging her students to “move forward to do good in the world” in his honor.

Vanessa Finder, a friend and classmate, said she remembered Umurzokov as “insanely smart” with a great sense of humor.

“He was a very caring and loyal friend. He was a compassionate person,” Finder said. “He had huge dreams to become a neurosurgeon.”

She said Umurzokov wasn’t actually enrolled in the economics review session that was targeted by the gunman, but had decided to accompany a friend.

“He’s that kind of person,” she said.

She said Umurzokov was a great listener and friend.

“He has done so much for me and whenever I had any conflicts in my life, like he would sit down with me and give me such genuine advice, such heartfelt advice,” Finder said. “He truly has changed my life.”

Jonathan Henick, the U.S. Ambassador to Uzbekistan, said he was “deeply saddened” by Umurzokov’s death.

“We extend our sincere condolences to Mr. Umurzokov’s family, friends, and fellow students and mourn the loss of his bright future,” he said in a statement.

Emergency personnel gather on Waterman Street at Brown University in Providence, R.I., Dec. 13, 2025.
Mark Stockwell/AP

Nine others were injured in the attack, officials said.

The tragedy began unfolding around 4:05 p.m. when police received a call from Brown University about an active shooter incident near the engineering building. The university alerted students and faculty to shelter in place shortly after.

According to police, the gunman fled the campus. A person of interest was detained and then released by police on Sunday.

No charges have been filed yet in the case, and police have not commented on a possible motive.