Brown University President Christina Paxson remembered Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, who were both killed during a shooting on the Providence campus over the weekend, as “brilliant and beloved” students.
“These were two young people whose amazing promise was extinguished too soon,” Paxson wrote in a letter to the school community on Tuesday.
“Both were at or near the beginning of their Brown journey — actually, they were at the beginning of a lot of things,” she continued. “Starting a new chapter away from home. Exploring. Making new friends. Learning about the world and themselves in new ways. Embarking on an exciting path to what life would hold for them in their years at and beyond Brown.”
Cook and Umurzokov were killed on Saturday afternoon, when an unidentified gunman burst into Brown University’s engineering and physics building and opened fire on students taking an economics course.
In total, 11 people were shot inside the Barus & Holley building, tucked on the eastern edge of the campus. According to NBC News, seven people remain in critical condition while another has been stabilized.
An 11th victim was identified hours after the shooting and had non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
Umurzokov, who was in his first semester, was “known for being driven, conscientious and disciplined,” Paxson said in her letter mourning the loss of the students.
“A first-year student, he arrived this fall with a passion for medicine born from a personal experience, and he planned to concentrate in biochemistry and molecular biology to help realize his dream of becoming a doctor,” she continued. “His friends and family have spoken of his clear commitment to serving others.”
Cook, originally from Alabama, was in her second year at Brown. Paxson said “she was a passionate and intellectually curious member of our community who was interested in French and Francophone studies.” Cook was also an accomplished pianist “known for her compassionate, loyal and courageous spirit,” the president added.
In wake of the deadly shooting, a person of interest was briefly detained, and then released.
Authorities on Tuesday were still searching for the gunman, with the FBI in Boston offering a $50,000 reward for information.
