Both Deceased Students Revealed in Brown University Incident as Law Enforcement Persist in Search for Killer.

The pair of scholars who lost their lives in Saturday’s tragic incident at Brown University had tributes paid to them on Monday – amid a widespread hunt for their killer persisted following the freeing by Rhode Island officials of the sole person questioned in the case.

Honoring a Lost Student

Ella Cook, a second-year scholar from Alabama, was described as “a wonderful, steady, devout, shining presence”, as stated by the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Birmingham, which paid tribute to her at a ceremony on Sunday.

Cook was the vice-presidency of Brown’s division of College Republicans of America, as the club stated. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also expressed words of sorrow publicly, stating: “It's indescribable. Remembering her kin and peers, especially her parents.”

An International Student

The other person killed was MukhammadAziz Umurzokov from Uzbekistan, an Uzbek national in his initial year at the prestigious university, according to relatives.

The victim's identification was officially acknowledged by the foreign office of Uzbekistan.

“He possessed remarkable kindness, humor, and intelligence. He had big dreams of entering the field of neurosurgery and aiding others,” his sister, Samira Umurzokova said in a tribute.

The Shooting Incident

Nine more persons were injured in Saturday’s attack in the engineering department of Brown’s campus in Providence, during the school’s final exam period.

Authorities said late Sunday that a 24-year-old male detained in a search at a hotel about around 27 kilometers from the scene earlier in the day was released from custody.

“A perpetrator remains free,” said the state's top prosecutor, Peter Neronha.

He continued, “Sometimes you head in one direction, and then you need to change course and head another way, and that is the current situation over the last approximately one day.”

Ongoing Concerns

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

The shooter 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 news agency.

Officers that searched the inn seized two handguns and magazines when the individual was arrested, according to reports.

Those Hurt

Of the nine hurt, one student was allowed to go home, said Brown’s president, Christina Paxson. Seven others were in serious yet stable state, and one remained in critical care, officials reported on Sunday.

A private school, a private academy in the city of Durham, said a recent graduate, Kendall Turner, was one of the critically injured.

Further Tributes

Cook was honored at a memorial in Birmingham on Sunday. A clergyman said, “Her presence was a wonderful, steady, pious glow not only here growing up... but at Brown she was a radiant presence in that particular place as well.”

The president of College Republicans, Martin Bertao, shared a message from the club. “Ella was known for her fearless, heroic, and gentle spirit as she aided her club and other students,” he said.

Jonathan Henick, Jonathan Henick, said he was “deeply saddened” by the passing of Umurzokov in a tribute. “We extend our sincere condolences to the Umurzokov family, companions, and fellow students and grieve for of his bright future.”

Wider Picture

The fatal shooting at Brown, the seventh oldest in the US university with about over seven thousand undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students, took place amid one of at least 392 mass shootings recorded nationally so far in 2025, according to data. Monday was the 349th day of the year.