Brown University, one of the nation’s wealthiest Ivy League institutions with a $7.2 billion endowment, is reeling from a tragic shooting that occurred on Saturday afternoon. Just before 4 PM, a gunman began shooting inside the Barus & Holley engineering building. That horrific attack claimed the lives of nine people, including two students—Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. The incident has led to public outcry and demands for heightened campus security from far and wide.
Ella Cook, 19, who was the vice-president of the university’s chapter of College Republicans of America. Native of Mountain Brook, Alabama, she was a sophomore at the elite university. Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov Mukhammad is an 18-year-old freshman from Midlothian, Virginia. He immigrated to the United States with his family in 2011, escaping his home country of Uzbekistan. Umurzokov had aspirations of becoming a neurosurgeon.
Authorities confirmed that the shooter used a 9mm Glock handgun during the attack. One of the victims remains in critical condition. In the meantime, the university community is left to grapple with the realities and traumas of this violent act.
Brown University has since offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the shooter’s identification and arrest. In a statement, Ted Docks, a university spokesman, called on the public to help investigators with information.
“We are asking the public to be patient as we continue to run down every lead so we can give victims, survivors, their families and all of you the answers you deserve,” – Ted Docks.
It doesn’t help that the shooting immediately fueled outrage and renewed calls for more improved security on campus. More than 1,000 students have signed a petition calling for immediate action to install safety improvements with better lighting and visibility between university buildings.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee released a statement mourning the lost lives and their families.
“We want to see the individual that pulled the trigger on these young kids identified, apprehended and brought to justice,” – Daniel McKee.
Yet the community’s grief has been compounded by reflections on the broader implications of campus safety and gun violence. One social media commenter referred to the incident as an “epic failure of leadership.” In the meantime, SU student and Syrian American Li Ding was disappointed that there are no good commuting surveillance alternatives.
“The fact that we’re in such a surveillance state but that wasn’t used correctly at all is just so deeply frustrating,” – Li Ding.
Ella Cook’s pastor shared heartfelt memories of her character, describing her as “an incredible, grounded, faithful, bright light.” Her friends and family, including commuters who never met her, are left to mourn this tragic loss. This tragedy has obviously shocked the entire university community to its core.
Public space investigations continue at Brown University. The pressure is increasing to not only bring the perpetrator to justice, but to address issues of campus safety. As with past tragedies, these horrific events again turn our gaze to what institutions can do to better protect their students amid an ever-changing and often unpredictable landscape.