The Two Fatalities Identified in Brown University Incident as Authorities Continue Search for Gunman.

Two students who died in the recent tragic incident on the university campus were being remembered Monday – amid a widespread hunt for their shooter carried on following the freeing by Rhode Island officials of the sole person of interest in the case.

Tributes for Ella Cook

The student Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, was remembered as “a wonderful, steady, devout, shining presence”, as stated by the Birmingham's Cathedral Church of the Advent, which offered condolences for her at a ceremony on Sunday.

Cook was vice-president of Brown’s division of College Republicans of America, as the club stated. Karoline Leavitt also posted words of sorrow online, stating: “Words cannot express. Remembering her family and friends, especially her parents.”

An International Student

The other person killed was MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, a citizen of Uzbekistan in his freshman year at the prestigious university, according to relatives.

The victim's identification was officially acknowledged by the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“He was incredibly kind, funny, and smart. He harbored grand aspirations of becoming a neurosurgeon and helping people,” Samira Umurzokova, his sister said in a memorial statement.

What Happened

Nine more persons were injured in the weekend shooting in the engineering department of Brown’s university in Providence, during the school’s final exam period.

Authorities said on Sunday evening that a 24-year-man arrested in a police operation at a hotel about 17 miles from the university earlier in the day was released from custody.

“There is a killer at large,” stated Rhode Island’s attorney general, Peter Neronha.

He continued, “Occasionally a probe goes down a path, and then you need to change course and go in another, and this is precisely what occurred over the last approximately one day.”

Public Fear

Brett Smiley, Brett Smiley, noted: “This will probably generate fresh anxiety for our community”.

The gunman discharged a weapon inside a room in the engineering building on Saturday afternoon, discharging in excess of 40 shots from a handgun, a police source informed the Associated Press.

Officers that searched the lodging seized a pair of pistols and two loaded 30-round magazines when the person of interest was arrested, according to reports.

The Wounded Victims

Regarding the nine injured, one pupil was allowed to go home, stated Christina Paxson, Christina Paxson. Seven others were in grave but unchanging health, and another was critically ill, authorities stated on Sunday.

An educational institution, a private academy in North Carolina, said Kendall Turner, Kendall Turner, was in the group of seriously hurt victims.

Further Tributes

Tributes were paid to Cook at a religious service in Birmingham on Sunday. A clergyman said, “She shone as a remarkable, stable, devout beacon not only in her youth... but at Brown University she was an incredible light in that specific location as well.”

The president of College Republicans, Martin Bertao, shared a message from the group. “She was famed for her bold, brave, and kind heart as she aided her club and other students,” he said.

The US ambassador, Jonathan Henick, said he was “profoundly grieved” by the student's death in a tribute. “We offer our heartfelt sympathies to the Umurzokov family, friends, and fellow students and lament the passing of his bright future.”

National Context

Saturday’s killings at Brown, the country's seventh most historic higher education institution with about 7,300 undergraduate and postgraduate students, occurred during one of at least 392 shooting incidents recorded nationally so far in 2025, according to data. That Monday marked the 349th day of the year.