Harvard and Brown Students Join in Vigil for Victims of Brown University Shooting

Approximately 50 students gathered in front of Memorial Church on Wednesday evening to mourn two students killed in last weekend’s mass shooting at Brown University, joining a coordinated vigil held across the Ivy League.

The half-hour vigil, attended primarily by Brown students alongside a handful of Harvard students, was part of an Ivy League-wide effort to grieve the tragedy. Students at the seven other schools held simultaneous vigils at 5:00 p.m. in shared campus spaces.

Students shared memories of two classmates killed in the Saturday shooting: sophomore Ella Cook and freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov.

“My memory with Ella was just so distinct — it’s funny how it just sticks with you,” said Brown junior Charlie Perdue. “I remember how kind she was.”

Cook was deeply involved in her Episcopal congregation in her home state of Alabama, Perdue said, describing faith as central to her identity.

“I’ve never heard someone talk about their faith the way that she did,” Perdue added.

Theo Illarionov, a Brown student who said he met Cook only weeks before her death, reflected on the loss of a relationship cut short.

“For me, it’s a sadness,” he said. “I just met her a few weeks ago, and the sadness that I won’t get the opportunity to know her more, or to ever meet Mukhammad, is something that’s stayed with me.”

Illarionov encouraged students to lean on one another in the aftermath of the shooting.

“I’d encourage everyone — just as we process and think about this — to reach out to those who are close to you and cherish your time with them,” he said.

Students were concluding a final exam review session Saturday afternoon when a masked gunman entered a lecture hall and opened fire. Nine students were hospitalized, seven of whom remained hospitalized as of Wednesday afternoon, according to hospital officials. Brown canceled all remaining final exams, projects, and assignments the following day.

With many students returning home immediately after the shooting, the vigil provided a space to grieve.

“It’s been very helpful to hear from people and hear their experiences and what they’re thinking about,” said Asa Rosenmeier, a Brown student from Belmont, Mass. “It’s good to all be together and talking.”

Rosenmeier added that the national outpouring of support had been comforting.

“I’m really happy with people around the country showing support,” he said. “It makes me feel very good.”

Providence officials continue to investigate the shooting as the search for a suspect enters its sixth day. A person of interest was taken into custody early Sunday morning after a nearly 12-hour search, but was later released. Authorities have not identified a new suspect.

Brown senior Tasawwar Rahman said the tragedy felt familiar and deeply personal.

“The thing I’ve been trying to think about the last five days is, ‘why Brown? Why this?’” he said, referencing mass shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 and Michigan State University in 2023.

“But I never thought it would be where I go to school,” Rahman added. “It just was inconceivable to me.”

In response to the shooting, Harvard — the closest Ivy League university to Brown — amped up security, briefly requiring Harvard ID swipe to enter the Smith Campus Center and the Science Center, which are typically open to the public. Shortly after the vigil, Harvard also announced that it would require Harvard ID swipe to all Faculty of Arts and Sciences buildings starting Thursday morning.

Harvard College organized a vigil the day after the shooting, where administrators stressed messages of interfaith solidarity and condemned violence.

Near the end of Wednesday’s service, one student read aloud “Epitaph” by Merrit Malloy, a short poem often read at funerals and memorials.

“Love doesn’t die, people do,” the student read. “So when all that’s left of me is love, give me away.”

—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.