Two Victims Identified in the Ivy League School Attack as Authorities Continue Hunt for Killer.

Two students who lost their lives in Saturday’s violent attack at Brown University were honored at the start of the week – amid a widespread hunt for their assailant carried on following the freeing by Rhode Island officials of the only individual detained in connection in the case.

Tributes for Ella Cook

The student Ella Cook, a second-year student from Alabama, was remembered as “an incredible, grounded, faithful, bright light”, as stated by the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Birmingham, which paid tribute to her at a gathering on Sunday.

Cook was second-in-command of Brown’s division of the College Republicans organization, the group said. The White House press secretary also expressed sympathies online, saying in part: “Words cannot express. Thinking of her family and friends, especially her parents.”

The Second Victim

The second fatality was MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek national in his freshman year at the renowned school, according to relatives.

Umurzokov’s identity was confirmed by the foreign office of Uzbekistan.

“He possessed remarkable kindness, humor, and intelligence. He harbored grand aspirations of becoming a neurosurgeon and helping people,” his sister, Samira Umurzokova said in a tribute.

What Happened

Nine other people were wounded in the weekend shooting in the engineering department of Brown’s university in Providence, during the institution's end-of-term tests.

Authorities said by the end of Sunday that a 24-year-man arrested in a search at a Hampton Inn about approximately 17 miles from the campus earlier in the day was released from custody.

“A perpetrator remains free,” declared Rhode Island’s attorney general, Peter Neronha.

Neronha explained, “Sometimes you head in one direction, and then you have to regroup and pursue a different angle, and that’s exactly what has happened over the last 24 hours or so.”

Community Anxiety

Brett Smiley, Brett Smiley, noted: “We know that this is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our city”.

The gunman discharged a weapon inside a classroom in the engineering facility on over the weekend, discharging in excess of 40 shots from a 9mm handgun, a authority informed the Associated Press.

Officers that entered the hotel seized a pair of pistols and two loaded 30-round magazines when the person of interest was taken into custody, the news agency reported.

Those Hurt

Among those wounded, one pupil was discharged from care, mentioned Christina Paxson, Christina Paxson. Seven others were in serious yet stable state, and one remained in critical care, police said on Sunday.

Durham Academy, a independent school in North Carolina, said Kendall Turner, Kendall Turner, was among those critically wounded.

Additional Memorials

Cook was remembered at a religious service in Birmingham on Sunday. A pastor commented, “She shone as a remarkable, stable, devout beacon not only during her upbringing... but at Brown University she was a shining example in that institution as well.”

Martin Bertao, Martin Bertao, released remarks from the club. “She was famed 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 Umurzokov’s death in a message. “We extend our sincere condolences to Mr Umurzokov’s family, companions, and fellow students and grieve for of his promising future.”

National Context

Saturday’s killings at Brown, the country's seventh most historic higher education institution with about over seven thousand undergraduate and postgraduate students, took place amid one of at least nearly 400 mass shootings recorded nationally so far in 2025, according to statistics. The following Monday was the 349th day of the year.