Ella Cook ’28 and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov ’29 were confirmed as the two victims killed in Saturday’s mass shooting in an email to the Brown community from President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20.
“These were two young people whose amazing promise was extinguished too soon,” Paxson wrote in the email. “None of those reports, nor anything that I share here, could ever begin to fully capture the totality of who they were, nor the enormity of who they never had the opportunity to become.”
Cook and Umurzokov were both attending a review session for ECON0110: “Principles of Economics” in Barus and Holley room 166, though Umurzokov was not a student in the class — he had gone to provide his friends with company.
Shortly after the review session ended, a gunman entered the room and opened fire, killing the two students. An additional nine victims were hospitalized, one of whom remains in critical condition. Five are in critical but stable condition, one is in stable condition and two have been discharged.
Cook, a sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama, was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and vice president of the Republican Club of Brown University, according to Paxson’s email.
Paxson wrote that Cook “was known for her compassionate, loyal and courageous spirit.”
She was also a prospective French and francophone studies concentrator, according to an email sent by the French and Francophone Studies Departmental Undergraduate Group.
“Ella’s instructors within our department have shared that she was a wonderful student and a deeply kind and thoughtful human being,” wrote Anna Ershova ’26, a FFS DUG leader, in the email.
Ershova also invited community members to share personal anecdotes in a “book of condolence” that the department plans to send to Cook’s family, along with flowers. The department is collecting messages through Wednesday evening.
The FFS DUG is “getting a lot of really heartfelt messages from Ella’s friends and community members, and it is really hitting me,” Ershova wrote in a message to The Herald. She was also Cook’s neighbor on campus, which contributed to the sense of “tragedy and gravity of our loss.”
During a service Sunday morning, a pastor from the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama — where Cook was a parishioner — shared the news of Cook’s passing to members of the church, where she was remembered for her faith and character.
Umurzokov, an Uzbek American student from Midlothian, VA, was planning to concentrate in biochemistry and molecular biology in the hopes of becoming a doctor, according to Paxson’s email.
“I have been moved by his current and former classmates’ descriptions of him as someone who generously shared his intelligence, humor and kindness with all those who knew him,” Paxson wrote.
A GoFundMe organized by Umurzokov’s sister, Samira Umurzokova, describes him as “incredibly kind, funny and smart.” According to the GoFundMe description, donations will be used for family expenses, with any remaining funds being directed to a charity in his name.
“He always lent a helping hand to anyone in need without hesitation,” Umurzokova wrote in the description. “He continues to be my family’s biggest role model in all aspects.”
“He’s wonderful,” Talia Sherman ’26 wrote in a message to The Herald, adding that he was “one of the most confident and charismatic (people) ever.” Sherman met Umurzokov after he “walked up” to one of her friends on the Main Green and started a conversation. From then on, Umurzokov referred to Sherman’s group as his “senior friends,” she wrote.
“I loved every minute I spent talking to him,” Sherman added.
The American Uzbekistan Association shared a post honoring Umurzokov, writing that he “carried himself with humility and compassion, earning the respect and affection of those around him.”
“He was known for his sharp intellect, kind heart and quiet willingness to help anyone in need,” the post continued.
The University will share details “in the weeks ahead” about how the community will memorialize the two students, Paxson wrote. A virtual interfaith prayer service is scheduled for Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Maya Nelson is a university news and metro editor covering undergraduate student life as well as business and development. She’s interested in studying either English or Literary Arts and loves to read sci-fi and fantasy in her free time. She also enjoys playing guitar, crocheting and spending an unreasonable amount of time on NYT Spelling Bee.
Annika Singh is The Herald’s tech chief and a metro editor from Singapore. She covers crime, justice and local politics, but mainly she stands in line for coffee and looks up answers every time she attempts a crossword.
