[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 211 (Monday, December 15, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S8706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



           Remembering Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I am here with Senator Whitehouse and 
Senator Britt from Alabama to recognize the victims of a terrible, 
heartbreaking mass shooting that took place at Brown University in 
Providence over the weekend.
  Two young people were killed and nine were wounded when a gunman 
opened fire on a classroom full of college students studying for their 
final.
  We will mourn the victims at a later date, but we will soon, all of 
us, humbly request a moment of silence for sophomore Ella Cook of 
Alabama and freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov of Virginia. These two 
talented, promising young people had their lives tragically cut short.
  We are thinking of them and all the victims and to the broader Brown 
University community. We send our love and support to their families 
and loved ones. They are dealing with the unimaginable, and we will 
continue to support them.
  Before I ask us to observe a moment of silence, I would like to turn 
to my colleagues for some brief remarks.
  I yield the floor to Senator Whitehouse.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I am honored to join our senior 
Senator as he calls for a moment of silence to share in the sorrow of 
the families who lost their young college student children to this 
tragedy.
  I would only ask that all of us, including anyone listening, just 
hold off and give these families a little bit of grace and peace as 
they deal with this loss. They were expecting to see these kids for the 
Christmas holidays. There are other kids who are in the hospital--in 
some cases, in fairly critical condition. Those families are not going 
to be spending Christmas around the tree at home; they are going to be 
spending Christmas in a State away from home where their children are 
in a hospital room, trying to be there for them.
  So there is a good deal of suffering and a good deal of sorrow. I 
think it is important that people not add to that with a lot of 
unfounded opinion and speculation about what took place. Let the 
investigation proceed. We will know what we need to know in due time. 
In the meantime, please give these families grace as they go through 
their grief.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
  Mrs. BRITT. Mr. President, I join my colleagues from Rhode Island in 
coming today to honor the victims at Brown University, for those who 
lost their lives and those who are fighting for theirs right now in a 
hospital room.
  We lift up their families in prayer. We ask for privacy and peace as 
they grieve the unimaginable.
  Just over the last 24, 36 hours, I have been inundated with text 
messages and calls specifically talking about what an incredible young 
woman Ella Cook was. She was everything that is great about our State--
bold, courageous, convicted, thoughtful, kind. She made her mark at 
Mountain Brook High School. She was making her mark at Brown 
University. The calls that I have gotten have been not just from 
Alabama but literally from people across the country who encountered 
her.
  While her life was cut way too short--and I cannot imagine the pain 
and grief that her parents are feeling right now and her little brother 
and her little sister and her extended family--it is clear that she 
made an impact, that her time on Earth was such a positive force for 
good that the ripple of her life will be felt for generations to come.
  As we lift their families up in prayer--the Brown community, people 
across this country that are grieving--I hope to echo my colleague's 
statement that we can all do that together.
  I yield the floor to the senior Senator from Rhode Island for a 
moment of silence.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, again, we will have more time to speak about 
these young people, but for now, I would request a moment of silence 
for the Brown University community, the city of Providence, and all of 
the victims of these tragic events, particularly the families of Ella 
and Mukhammad.
  (Moment of silence.)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Britt). The Senator from Rhode Island.