The second victim of the deadly shooting at Brown University has been identified as MuhammadAziz Umurzakov, a student described as a bright young man with dreams of becoming a surgeon.
The police continue their search for the gunman who killed two people and wounded nine others on campus.
US vice president JD Vance confirmed the identification in a post on X: “It looks like the second victim in the Brown shooting has been identified, a brilliant young man who dreamed of being a surgeon. May God rest the soul of MuhammadAziz Umurzakov.”
The MAGA leader added: “Say a prayer for everyone affected by this terrible tragedy, right before Christmas.”
The shooting took place at around 4 pm local time on Saturday inside a classroom at the engineering building on Brown’s campus in Rhode Island. Final exams were under way when the gunman opened fire, triggering panic among students and staff.
An economics professor, Rachel Friedberg, told local media that the attack occurred during a review session led by her teaching assistant. “He said that the shooter came in the doors, yelled something and started shooting,” she said. “Students started to scramble to try to get away from the shooter.”
Police initially detained a person of interest named 24‑year‑old Benjamin Erickson from Wisconsin on Sunday, but later released them, saying the evidence pointed in a different direction. Investigators are now searching for a male suspect seen on CCTV footage wearing black clothing with his face covered. No weapon has yet been recovered.
The two students killed were identified as Umurzakov, an Uzbek national, and Ella Cook. The College Republicans of America said Cook was known for her “bold, brave and kind heart”. The US ambassador to Uzbekistan said he was “deeply saddened” by Umurzakov’s death and offered condolences to his family.
Brown University said there was no immediate threat to the community and cancelled all remaining in-person exams and classes.
The attack brings the number of mass shootings in the United States this year to 389, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
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