Providence, Rhode Island — The Brown University community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, two students whose lives were tragically cut short by gun violence at a time when they should have been looking ahead to winter break, family reunions, and the future they were building.

Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, is remembered as a gentle and uplifting presence—someone whose kindness was felt immediately by those around her. Friends say Ella had a way of making people feel noticed and valued, offering warmth, curiosity, and care without hesitation. She was deeply loved by her peers, admired for her compassion, and known for the quiet light she brought into every space she entered. Her passing has left an ache across campus, a reminder of a future filled with promise that was taken far too soon.

Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov is remembered as a young man driven by purpose and generosity. A student at Brown University with dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon, Aziz carried himself with determination and humility. Those close to him describe him as kind, intelligent, and always ready to help—someone who checked in on friends, lifted spirits during stressful moments, and made sure others were okay. His dream was to heal others, a reflection of the care he showed in everyday life.

Ella and Aziz were more than classmates. They were friends, children, and cherished members of their community. They should have been celebrating the end of finals, packing for home, and imagining what came next. Instead, their absence has left families, friends, and classmates struggling to understand a loss that feels both sudden and immeasurable.

As the Brown University community comes together in grief, vigils and shared remembrances continue to honor Ella and Aziz not for the violence that ended their lives, but for the love, ambition, and kindness that defined them. Their stories have become symbols of the urgent need to protect young lives and prevent the tragedies that continue to shatter families and futures.

Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov will be remembered for who they were and who they were becoming—two young lives full of promise, deeply loved, and gone far too soon. Their memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew them and in a community forever changed by their loss.