Both Deceased Students Named in Brown University Attack as Law Enforcement Continue Search for Gunman.

Two students who lost their lives in Saturday’s mass shooting in Providence were honored at the start of the week – as a manhunt for their assailant continued following the release by Rhode Island officials of the single suspect detained in connection in the case.

Remembering Ella Cook

The young woman Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, was called “an incredible, grounded, faithful, bright light”, per the Advent Cathedral in Birmingham, which paid tribute to her at a service on Sunday.

Cook was vice-president of Brown’s branch of College Republicans of America, according to the organization. Karoline Leavitt also posted condolences publicly, remarking: “Words cannot express. Thinking of her family and friends, particularly her mother and father.”

An International Student

The other person killed was an Uzbek national named MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek national in his first year of studies at the prestigious university, family members said.

Umurzokov’s identity 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,” his sister, Samira Umurzokova said in a online post.

What Happened

Nine other people were hurt in the violent event in the engineering department of Brown’s university in Providence, during the institution's end-of-term tests.

Law enforcement reported by the end of Sunday that a man aged 24 detained in a police operation at a lodging about around 27 kilometers from the scene earlier in the day was released from custody.

“There is a killer at large,” said Peter Neronha, Peter Neronha.

Neronha explained, “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.”

Public Fear

Brett Smiley, Brett Smiley, noted: “This will probably generate new worry for our community”.

The gunman began shooting inside a classroom in the engineering facility on over the weekend, shooting over four dozen bullets from a 9mm handgun, a authority reported to the Associated Press.

Police that raided the inn found a pair of pistols and two loaded 30-round magazines when the person of interest was taken into custody, the news agency reported.

Condition of the Injured

Among those wounded, one pupil was allowed to go home, stated the university president, Christina Paxson. Seven more were in critical but stable condition, and one remained in critical care, police said on Sunday.

An educational institution, a private K-12 school in the city of Durham, said a former student, Kendall Turner, was among those critically wounded.

More Condolences

Cook was remembered at a church service in Birmingham on Sunday. A pastor commented, “She shone as a remarkable, stable, devout beacon not only during her upbringing... but at Brown she was a radiant presence in that specific location as well.”

The president of College Republicans, Martin Bertao, shared a message from the organization. “Ella was recognized for her bold, brave, and kind heart as she served her chapter and peers,” he said.

An American diplomat, Jonathan Henick, said he was “extremely sorrowful” by the student's death in a statement. “We offer our heartfelt sympathies to Mr Umurzokov’s family, friends, and schoolmates and lament the passing of his bright future.”

Wider Picture

The weekend's murders at Brown, the nation’s seventh-oldest university with about over seven thousand undergraduate 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 data. That Monday marked the 349th day of the year.