Providence, R.I. — The Brown University campus, usually echoing with student chatter and footsteps between classes, now sits heavy with silence and grief. On the afternoon of December 13, 2025, a shooter opened fire inside the Barus & Holley Engineering and Physics building during a final exam review session, killing two beloved students and injuring nine others. The victims have since been identified as freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, 18, and sophomore Ella Cook, 19, leaving a community stunned and mourning lives full of promise cut tragically short.
Umurzokov was more than a student — he was a compassionate young man with a dream. Born in Uzbekistan and raised in Virginia, he carried the scars and lessons of his own health struggles into a pressing ambition to become a neurosurgeon. With a double major in biochemistry and neuroscience, he had already begun helping classmates with complex problems late into the evenings and planned to dedicate his life to healing others. His sister Samira, in a GoFundMe tribute, described him as kind, funny, and selfless — the person everyone turned to when they needed support.
Ella Cook was known on campus and beyond for her brightness, leadership, and warmth. A Birmingham, Alabama native and vice president of Brown’s College Republicans, she balanced academics in French, math, and economics with deep commitments to her faith community. At a Sunday service in her home church, the Cathedral Church of the Advent, her pastor remembered her as “an incredible, grounded, faithful bright light” — a presence that lifted up those around her with encouragement and joy.
The afternoon’s violence unfolded in a large classroom packed with students preparing for their finals. Around 4:05 p.m., someone armed with a 9mm handgun entered the unlocked building and began firing multiple rounds, striking students as they studied together. Many survivors spoke later of confusion and terror as they dove for cover or fled into hallways, while others were trapped inside until police secured the scene hours later.
In the chaotic hours that followed, law enforcement swarmed the Providence campus and nearby neighborhoods. A person of interest was briefly detained early Sunday morning but later released when evidence failed to link him to the attack, leaving authorities without a suspect in custody as the manhunt continues. Providence police have since released surveillance footage of another individual seen near campus before the shooting, urging anyone with home or dashcam video to come forward. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the gunman’s identification and arrest.
Nine students were wounded in the attack; most remain hospitalized, with several listed in critical but stable condition and others steadily recovering. Among them, classmates and families have shared stories of courage and resilience — students who helped friends escape or shielded others with their own bodies. These tales of bravery now sit alongside tributes to Umurzokov and Cook, whose absence is felt deeply across the Brown community and far beyond.
In response to the tragedy, Brown University canceled the remainder of the semester’s academic activities and has organized grief support and memorial events for when the community returns in the spring. Local officials, including Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee, have called on residents to hold the victims’ families in their hearts and support the ongoing search for justice. The city of Providence itself remains on edge, with heightened police presence and emotional strain hanging over neighborhoods where students and residents alike once moved freely.
Amid the heartbreak, stories of everyday moments — late-night study sessions, shared laughter over coffee, whispered plans for the future — are now the memories that friends and loved ones cling to. The sacrifices of those lost remind everyone how fragile life can be, and how resilient a community becomes when it gathers to mourn, remember, and seek healing together.
