Key Takeaways
- Ella Cook, a 19-year-old Brown University sophomore, was remembered at a funeral in Alabama as "smart, confident, curious, kind, principled, brave"
- Cook and 18-year-old freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov were killed in a shooting attack at Brown University on December 13
- The suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old former graduate student at Brown, was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a New Hampshire storage facility
- Cook was an accomplished pianist and studied French, math, and economics at Brown, where she also served as vice president of the college Republicans
- The funeral service was attended by hundreds of people, including Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who ordered flags to be flown at half-staff statewide in Cook’s memory
Introduction to the Tragedy
A funeral was held on Monday in Birmingham, Alabama, to remember Ella Cook, a 19-year-old Brown University sophomore who was killed in a shooting attack at the university. Cook was described as "smart, confident, curious, kind, principled, brave" by those who knew her. The attack, which occurred on December 13, also killed 18-year-old freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov and wounded nine other students. The suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old former graduate student at Brown, was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a New Hampshire storage facility.
The Funeral Service
The funeral service was held at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in downtown Birmingham and was attended by hundreds of people. Cook’s family invited attendees to wear "Easter colors" to underscore Cook’s Christian faith, and the service also nodded to the Christmas season. The Rev. Paul F.M. Zahl, who formerly led the church, read from several letters written by members of the Brown community to Cook’s parents, Anna Bishop Cook and Richard Cook. The letters described Cook as a talented and dedicated student who had a big impact on campus in only three semesters.
Tributes to Ella Cook
Brown professor of political economy David Skarbek wrote that Cook was "smart, confident, curious, kind, principled, brave" and had a nickname on campus of "Ellabama". Skarbek also mentioned that he used to tell Cook, "We need an Alabama to Brown pipeline". The Rev. Zahl told the congregation that the funeral was "a kind of bigger stage, a kind of more amplified mic" for Cook to spread her Christian faith. Zahl also shared a dream he had in which Cook appeared and shouted confidently, "Come on, will you?" Zahl believed that God had shown himself through the dream and prayed that everyone who loved Cook would be given a vivid feeling of her love, which he described as "eternal and entirely altruistic".
Ella Cook’s Life and Achievements
Cook was an accomplished pianist who was studying French, math, and economics at Brown. She also served as vice president of the college Republicans, which brought a wave of reaction from national and Alabama Republicans. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered flags to be flown at half-staff statewide in Cook’s memory. Cook’s death has had a significant impact on the community, and her funeral service was a celebration of her life and achievements. The service was a testament to the impact that Cook had on those who knew her, and it highlighted her passion for learning, her dedication to her faith, and her commitment to making a difference in the world.
The Investigation and Aftermath
The investigation into the shooting attack is ongoing, and authorities believe that the attack was carried out by Claudio Neves Valente, who had been a graduate student at Brown studying physics during the 2000-01 school year. Neves Valente then fatally shot Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at Loureiro’s Boston-area home two days later. Neves Valente was found dead days later in a New Hampshire storage facility, killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An autopsy determined that Neves Valente died on December 16, the same day Loureiro died in a hospital. The motive behind the attack is still unclear, and the investigation is ongoing. However, the impact of the attack on the community is clear, and it has highlighted the need for increased safety measures and support for students and staff at universities across the country.
