A 19-year-old sophomore active in conservative politics and her faith community was confirmed as one of the two people killed in Saturday’s classroom shooting at Brown University.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore and vice president of the Brown University College Republicans, was identified as one of the two victims killed in a shooting that erupted inside a classroom on the Ivy League campus Saturday afternoon, multiple reports confirmed.
The attack occurred while final exams were underway, when a shooter opened fire inside a classroom at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, killing Cook and one other person and injuring nine others. Authorities said the gunman remained at large as of Monday morning after investigators released a man previously described as a “person of interest” less than a day after he was arrested.
Cook, who was from Alabama, was active in conservative student politics and her Christian faith community, according to reports. She was serving as vice president of the Brown College Republicans at the time of her death.
“We are devastated to learn of the loss of our Brown College Republicans Vice President, Ella Cook,” College Republicans of America President Marin Bertao said in a statement posted Sunday night. “Ella was known for her bold, brave and kind heart as she served her chapter and her fellow classmates. Our prayers are with her family, our Brown CR’s, and the entirety of the campus as they heal from this tragedy.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded early Monday to the statement, writing that there were “no words” to describe the loss. “Thinking of her family and friends, especially her parents. God please bless them,” she added.
Cook was a parishioner at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. During a Sunday morning service, the church’s Rev. Craig Smalley described her as a “bright light,” according to ABC News.
“She was engaged and involved in our worship and in our community,” Smalley said. “In all sincerity, just a tremendous and bright light there at Brown University as well, in the time that she was there.”
Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth also paid tribute to Cook, writing in a Sunday night post that she “was a devoted Christian and a committed conservative who represented the very best of Alabama.”
“A bright future was ended much too soon,” Ainsworth said. “Join me in lifting up her family in prayers of comfort.”
The second person killed in the shooting was reportedly a male freshman neuroscience student whose name has not yet been publicly released. His roommate, Khimari Manns, told WPRI-TV that the student was among the two victims killed.
The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing, and authorities have not announced any charges.
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