The two Brown University students killed in a mass shooting Saturday were identified as Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook.
Umurzokov, 18, was from Uzbekistan, in central Asia, and “had a bright future” ahead of him, said his aunt Karina Gabit, who described him as "very kind" and smart.
His sisters spent hours trying to reach their brother after they learned about the shooting, eventually reaching out to his friends on Instagram to see whether they knew where he was, Rukhsora Umurzokova, 22, told NBC News.
“We realized that we were looking at the news and reading two people dead and eight people shot without even realizing that we’re, like, reading this about our brother,” she said. “We didn’t even know. We don’t want him to end up being a number. We want everyone to see his face. We want everyone to know his name.”
She learned around midnight that her younger brother had joined a friend for a review session, even though Umurzokov wasn't even in the class. They called to hospitals and the university hotline until eventually the school’s vice president called her back, she said.
“This was around, like, 2:30 a.m. in the morning, and they informed me that my brother was killed,” she said.
Her parents had left that morning on what was supposed to be a family trip for Umrah in Saudi Arabia. Once they learned the news, they immediately changed their plans and boarded a flight to New York. Rukhsora Umurzokova said she had yet to see her parents, who drove straight to Rhode Island with her husband Monday morning to take their son home to Virginia for a proper Islamic burial.
Growing up, her brother was always pegged as the smart one in the family, she said. She remembered him memorizing all the different dinosaurs and countries and capitals. That eventually evolved into his being a dedicated student who took numerous Advanced Placement course and extracurricular activities.
"We always joked, like, oh, he's the smartest," she said. "He has, like, the biggest head. ... He just loved learning."
He wanted to become a neurosurgeon, inspired by the doctor who operated on him as a child, Rukhsora Umurzokova said. Her younger brother had a fluid build-up in his brain that on some days impaired his ability to walk.
“All he wanted was just like, ‘I want to be a doctor. I want to help people,’” she said. “That was his life goal, life dream.”
Rukhsora Umurzokova’s little brother had a “huge personality” who could talk to anyone for hours. He was a young man with big ambitions, who was excited to see his 5-month-old niece over break and to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in a few months.
“It’s just scary knowing that someone who was so happy and, like, just basically just disappeared, just in one second, almost,” she said.
The Uzbekistan Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed Umurzokov’s death and said in a translated Telegram post: "The loss of innocent lives as a result of this tragedy is a heavy loss for all of us."
The American Uzbekistan Association said he was "known for his sharp intellect, kind heart and quiet willingness to help anyone in need."
"He carried himself with humility and compassion, earning the respect and affection of those around him. His curiosity, discipline, and generosity reflected both his character and the values of the community that raised him," the organization said in a statement on Instagram.
"He had a future filled with promise, and his life was cut short far too soon. His passing has left an immeasurable void in the hearts of his family, friends, classmates, and the broader Uzbek American community."
Graduate student Jack Diprimio, 23, said he met Umurzokov at a legal philosophy book event in September. When Umurzokov, a freshman, realized he was a graduate student, Diprimio said, he would ask questions and use the older student as a resource as he traversed his first semester at Brown.
Diprimio felt protective of the younger student, who he said had a natural academic passion not just for science, but also for politics and international affairs. They would see each other on campus and stop to talk about classes or creating new relationships at school, he said.
The last time they spoke, Diprimio recommended the new "Wicked" film to his friend, he said.
"He texted me the day before the shooting; he was telling me about some of his plans for the weekend," Diprimio said. "And the last message I sent him was on Saturday — because I heard he was missing — and I just said, where are you? And it went unanswered."
Umurzokov wasn't just a victim, Diprimio said; he was a person, an open and curious person who was "genuinely interested in other people and their lived experiences."
"He would speak highly of his friends and his family, and you could tell he was just happy to be at Brown and trying to make as most of it as possible. He was very curious," Diprimio said.
Cook, 19, from Birmingham, Alabama, was remembered by her church there as “an incredible, grounded, faithful, bright light” who encouraged those around her.
“Not only here, growing up here at the Advent and myriad ways in which she served faithfully and the ways she encouraged and lift up those around her, but at Brown University, she was an incredible light in that particular place as well,” a minister at Cathedral Church of the Advent said during a Sunday service.
“Pray for the Cooks,” he said.
Cook was the vice president of the College Republicans group at the university in Providence, Rhode Island.
“Ella was known for her bold, brave, and kind heart as she served her chapter and her fellow classmates. Our prayers are with her family, our Brown’s CR’s, and the entire entirety of the campus as they heal from this tragedy,” Martin Bertao, the president of College Republicans of America, said in a statement on Instagram.
The organization’s chairman, Will Donahue, said he was angry about the shooting.
“The entire College Republicans community is weeping this evening learning of the news,” he said on X.
The shooting unfolded in the engineering and physics building. In addition to the two people who were killed, nine others were wounded.
Kendall Turner was identified as one of the students in critical but stable condition. Turner graduated from Durham Academy in Durham, North Carolina, this year.
"We hope for her continued strength and recovery," the school said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Kendall, her family, and all members of the Brown University community during this incredibly difficult time."
A person of interest was taken into custody but has been released, Brown University said Monday morning on Facebook. Officials said the evidence no longer supported holding him.
"To be clear, we’ve never stopped our investigation," Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "Providence police and our partners and state police, the FBI and others, have continuously run down leads and work this case beyond the person of interest who had been detained."
