GoFundMe Raises Over $370,000 for Brown University Shooting Victim Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov as Ella Cook Is Remembered

A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $370,000 for the family of Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, one of two students killed in a mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday afternoon, according to organizers.

Umurzokov and Ella Cook, both Brown University students, were identified by university officials and authorities as the victims of the shooting, which occurred inside an engineering building on the Providence, Rhode Island campus during final exam preparations. The attack left nine others injured, officials said.

Remembering Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov

Umurzokov was a neuroscience and biochemistry student at Brown and a recent graduate of Midlothian High School. His family and the Uzbekistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed his death, describing him as a “bright and promising” student with a “kind heart and quiet willingness to help others.”

His sister, Samira Umurzokova, told the Associated Press that her brother was shot while helping a friend during a review session for an economics final exam. She shared that he overcame significant medical challenges in childhood, including a neurological condition that required surgery and scoliosis that later required him to wear a back brace.

“He had so many hardships in his life,” she said. “He got into this amazing school and tried so hard to follow through with the promise he made when he was seven years old.”

Samira organized the GoFundMe campaign to support their family, which surpassed $370,000 in donations as of Monday, reflecting widespread support from the Brown community and beyond.

Ella Cook Is Remembered

 

Ella Cook Remembered as a “Bright Light”

The second victim, Ella Cook, was a 19-year-old sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama. Her hometown church, the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, remembered her as a “bright light” who was deeply involved in her faith and community.

Cook served as vice president of Brown’s College Republican Club and was described by her parish priest as “incredibly grounded, generous, and faithful.” She is survived by her parents and two siblings.

Shooting Details

Authorities said the gunman entered the engineering building around 4 p.m. and opened fire during a classroom session, prompting a campus-wide lockdown that lasted several hours. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials have not released further details about a motive.

The tragedy has shaken the Brown University community as students, faculty, and families mourn the loss of two young lives and support those injured in the attack.