PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Days after the tragic mass shooting at Brown University, investigators are still grappling with a dearth of information as frustration builds among the community. The shooting, which took place during a study session in an engineering building, claimed the lives of two students, identified as Ella Cook, 19, and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, 18, with nine others suffering injuries.
Cook, a sophomore from Alabama involved in her local church and university Republican group, is remembered by peers as a vibrant presence. Umurzokov, who moved to the U.S. as a child from Uzbekistan, had aspirations of pursuing a medical career. Rhode Island Hospital reported that one of the injured remains critically ill, while several others are stable and recovering.
Investigators are facing significant hurdles in their work, and initial leads have not borne fruit. Police detained a person of interest shortly after the attack, but they were released after it was determined they were not connected to the incident. The absence of reliable eyewitness accounts and limited surveillance footage from the area surrounding the engineering building complicates the situation further.
Brown University's President Christina Hull Paxson has defended the school's security measures amidst criticism about the lack of surveillance footage from the incident's precise location. The building where the attack occurred reportedly has few security cameras. Even so, officials have released grainy security video showing a masked individual nearby, reinforcing the ongoing search for leads.
Despite the lack of progress, police are keen to avoid jumping to conclusions about the masked figure in the videos, refraining from declaring them a suspect while acknowledging their significance as a person of interest. Authorities suspect the shooter may have actively surveilled the campus in the days leading up to the attack, prompting an appeal to the public for any additional video evidence.
As the university community mourns the losses, officials continue to clarify their emergency communications protocol designed to ensure safety during crises. The attack has left campus life dramatically altered, with students and faculty alike processing the events of the past few days. Brown has urged caution against online speculation, as unfounded accusations can lead to further distress within the community.
Cook, a sophomore from Alabama involved in her local church and university Republican group, is remembered by peers as a vibrant presence. Umurzokov, who moved to the U.S. as a child from Uzbekistan, had aspirations of pursuing a medical career. Rhode Island Hospital reported that one of the injured remains critically ill, while several others are stable and recovering.
Investigators are facing significant hurdles in their work, and initial leads have not borne fruit. Police detained a person of interest shortly after the attack, but they were released after it was determined they were not connected to the incident. The absence of reliable eyewitness accounts and limited surveillance footage from the area surrounding the engineering building complicates the situation further.
Brown University's President Christina Hull Paxson has defended the school's security measures amidst criticism about the lack of surveillance footage from the incident's precise location. The building where the attack occurred reportedly has few security cameras. Even so, officials have released grainy security video showing a masked individual nearby, reinforcing the ongoing search for leads.
Despite the lack of progress, police are keen to avoid jumping to conclusions about the masked figure in the videos, refraining from declaring them a suspect while acknowledging their significance as a person of interest. Authorities suspect the shooter may have actively surveilled the campus in the days leading up to the attack, prompting an appeal to the public for any additional video evidence.
As the university community mourns the losses, officials continue to clarify their emergency communications protocol designed to ensure safety during crises. The attack has left campus life dramatically altered, with students and faculty alike processing the events of the past few days. Brown has urged caution against online speculation, as unfounded accusations can lead to further distress within the community.
