A 19-year-old sophomore at Brown University and vice president of her school’s Republican club has been identified as one of the two students killed in Saturday’s shooting on the Ivy League campus.
Ella Cook’s death was announced on Sunday during a service at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, where her family worships.
The identification was confirmed by Rev. Craig Smalley, who paid tribute to the teenager during the Mass.
‘Tragically one of our parishioners Ella Cook was one of those killed yesterday,’ Smalley said. ‘She was an incredible, grounded, faithful bright light. She encouraged and lifted up those around her.’
Smalley told how she grew up at the Advent church referring to’the myriad ways in which she served faithfully and the ways in which she encouraged and lifted up those around her, but at Brown University, she was an incredible light in that particular place as well.’
Cook, who was originally from Birmingham, was studying at Brown when she was shot during what authorities have described as a finals review session on campus Saturday afternoon.
She was one of two students killed in the attack. Nine others were injured. The second victim has not yet been publicly identified.
According to those who knew her, Cook was deeply involved in campus life and faith-based service.
Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore at Brown University and a vice president of the school’s Republican club, has been identified as one of the two students killed in Saturday’s shooting
Cook’s death was announced on Sunday morning by Reverend Craig Smalley during a service at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, where her family worships
During Sunday’s service, Smalley described her as a ‘tremendous bright light’ who brought faith and calm to those around her.
He said she is survived by her parents and two siblings.
Cook also held a leadership role at Brown as vice president of the university’s Republican club, a position confirmed by fellow students and alumni.
Former Brown student Alex Shieh, who said he knew Cook, wrote on X that she was widely respected across ideological lines on campus.
‘Everyone at Brown who knew Ella, regardless of their politics, found her to be friendly and kind,’ Shieh wrote. ‘My thoughts are with Ella’s family. Ella was a promising young leader taken too soon.
‘I knew Ella through Brown Republicans, where she was vice president. Being a conservative at Brown isn’t always the easiest, but Ella was never afraid to share her beliefs on an overwhelmingly liberal campus and support others in doing so.’
Another woman who met Cook earlier this year through the Brown Republican Club described a similar impression.
In a statement, Xi Van Fleet said she met Cook last April during a lunch at the Brown Faculty Club following a campus tour.
Emergency personnel are seen gathering at Waterman and Thayer Streets in Providence on Saturday night
A police officer removes police tape as the lockdown at Brown University is lifted
A Brown University pennant is covered by flowers left by mourners at a makeshift memorial outside the Barus & Holley engineering building on the campus of Brown University
People gather for a candlelight vigil following a mass shooting at Brown University
People participate in a candlelight vigil the following day of a mass shooting on the campus of Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island
‘Even in that brief time, she made a lasting impression,’ the woman wrote. ‘Ella was a lovely, kind, and exceptionally bright young woman who served as Vice President of the Republican Club.’
She said the two discussed campus life, current events, and the experience of being conservative at Brown.
Cook was killed while attending a review session for an economics class. Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the shooter targeted specific individuals, and police have cautioned that the investigation remains ongoing.
A person of interested identified by police as Benjamin Erickson, was arrested early on Sunday morning at a hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, following an 11-hour manhunt but was later released late on Sunday night.
