Both Deceased Students Identified in Brown University Attack as Police Press On With Hunt for Killer.

The pair of scholars who lost their lives in the weekend's mass shooting on the university campus were honored at the start of the week – as a manhunt for their killer continued following the release by local law enforcement of the sole person questioned in the case.

Tributes for Ella Cook

The young woman Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, was described as “an amazing, stable, pious, radiant soul”, according to the Birmingham's Cathedral Church of the Advent, which offered condolences for her at a ceremony on Sunday.

Cook was second-in-command of Brown’s branch of College Republicans of America, the group said. The White House press secretary also posted sympathies publicly, remarking: “There are no words. Keeping in mind her family and friends, especially her parents.”

The Second Victim

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

His name was confirmed by the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“He was exceptionally gentle, witty, and bright. He harbored grand aspirations of becoming a neurosurgeon and aiding others,” his sister, Samira Umurzokova said in a memorial statement.

The Shooting Incident

Nine other people were injured in the weekend shooting in the school of engineering of Brown’s campus in Providence, during the institution's end-of-term tests.

Authorities said by the end of Sunday that a 24-year-old male detained in a police operation at a lodging about around 27 kilometers from the campus earlier in the day was released from custody.

“We have a murderer out there,” said Rhode Island’s attorney general, Peter Neronha.

He continued, “Investigations can lead one way, and then you have to regroup and go in another, and this is precisely what occurred over the last approximately one day.”

Community Anxiety

The city's mayor, Brett Smiley, admitted: “This will probably generate new worry for our public”.

The assailant opened fire inside a lecture hall in the building on Saturday, shooting over four dozen bullets from a handgun, a law enforcement official told the news agency.

Police that raided the lodging found two handguns and two loaded 30-round magazines when the individual was arrested, according to reports.

Those Hurt

Of the nine hurt, a single scholar was discharged from care, stated Brown’s president, Christina Paxson. Seven others were in critical but stable condition, and one was in critical condition, officials reported on Sunday.

An educational institution, a private academy in Durham, North Carolina, said Kendall Turner, Kendall Turner, was among those critically wounded.

More Condolences

Cook was honored at a church service in Birmingham on Sunday. A clergyman said, “She was an incredible, grounded, faithful bright light not only here growing up... but at the university she was an incredible light in that specific location as well.”

The president of College Republicans, Martin Bertao, posted a statement from the group. “Ella was recognized for her courageous, valiant, and compassionate nature as she served her chapter and fellow classmates,” he said.

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

Wider Picture

The weekend's murders at Brown, the nation’s seventh-oldest college with about over seven thousand undergraduate and three thousand graduate students, happened during one of at least 392 mass shootings recorded nationally so far in 2025, according to records. That Monday marked the 349th day of the year.