On Saturday (Dec. 13), a gunman opened fire in a classroom of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, claiming two lives. The students were gathered to review for a final exam.
Among those killed was Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore. Cook was vice president of Brown’s College Republicans and a member of Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, near her home in Mountain Brook.
The Very Rev. R. Craig Smalley, dean and rector of Cathedral Church of the Advent, told the congregation on Sunday, “It’s a tremendous heaviness that is upon our congregation today.”
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“[Cook] was an incredibly grounded and generous and faithful and [a] bright light,” Smalley said, adding that Cook had served at the church for many years and “was such a light and such a witness” while at Brown.
Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth said in a social media statement, “Ella was a devoted Christian and a committed conservative who represented the very best of Alabama. A bright future was ended much too soon. Join me in lifting up her family in prayers of comfort.”
“I am heartbroken to hear that Mountain Brook’s Ella Cook was among those killed over the weekend at Brown University,” wrote Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who represents Alabama. “Our hearts and our prayers are with the Cook family and everyone impacted by this senseless killing.”
Sen. Katie Britt, also of Alabama, wrote, “Wesley and I join the Mountain Brook community and all of Alabama in mourning the heartbreaking loss of one of our own, Ella Cook, who was senselessly killed over the weekend on Brown University’s campus.”
“There are no words that can ease the pain Ella’s family and friends are enduring right now. Her beautiful life was taken far too soon, but those who loved her are comforted in knowing that she has joined our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for all of eternity,” Britt continued. “During this unimaginable time, I am deeply grateful to the local, state, and federal law enforcement officials who continue to work to ensure justice is served.”
“Our hearts are breaking for the Cook family,” Britt added. “Please keep Ella’s loved ones and community in your prayers.”
The other casualty was Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman. An immigrant from Uzbekistan who gained his United States citizenship two years ago, Umurzokov was attending Brown on a scholarship. He was majoring in biochemistry and neuroscience and planned to pursue a career in brain surgery.
Umurzokov’s parents were en route to Saudi Arabia for a long-planned pilgrimage to Mecca when the shooting occurred. They immediately returned home to New York upon learning that their son had been killed.
