The Manhunt Continues: The Brown University Shooting and the Importance of Restraint
As law enforcement tries to find the shooter, claims of political targeting spread without evidence.
Two people were killed at Brown University last Saturday. The shooting, which comes amid a flurry of conspiracy theories and claims of political persecution, left two dead and nine wounded, with the unidentified gunman remaining at large. Amid this tragedy and death, it is tempting to claim motives and to fill in the blanks with speculation. However, if there is to be an end to the suffering that we face, claims of political targeting and conspiracy theories must be rejected.
What We Know
On Saturday at around 4 PM, an unidentified gunman entered an economics study group of about 60 students and began firing, killing Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook, two students. The shooter, a masked man, then fled the scene on foot. A person of interest, not necessarily a suspect, was later taken into custody, something that FBI Director Kash Patel boasted about on Twitter. It was later revealed that the person of interest was not the shooter, but a bystander, and was subsequently released.
The shooter remains at large.
Filling the Gaps
While the motives for the shooting remain unknown, claims of supposed political targeting quickly spread online, with the President of the College Republicans, William Donahue, claiming on Monday that he was “told” that Ella Cook, one of the victims and the Vice President of Brown’s College Republicans, was targeted for her conservatism. The hastily organized post seemingly ignored that another victim, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, was also killed in the attack and had yet to have any political connections.
In his post, Donahue wrote:
“I am filled with rage and sadness to learn that our Brown College Republicans VP, Ella Cook, has been identified as one of the victims from the attack. I’m told she was allegedly targeted for her conservative beliefs, hunted, and killed in cold blood. Losing Charlie three months ago rocked our worlds. The entire College Republicans community is weeping this evening, learning of the news. This was an attack on our family.”
In a subsequent post, Donahue further noted that he was relying on reports from “students immediately after the news broke…” and that he was waiting for the official police report and receiving updates from the chapter. “Though he has continued to repost claims that she was targeted despite police not yet prescribing a motive.
Nor was he alone in this. Vice President Vance seized upon Cook’s death, pointing to Brown as a “left-wing campus,” in an apparent nod to the theory that Cook was targeted for her politics. On Sunday, the chairman of the Ohio College Republicans Federation, Gabe Guidarini, wrote, “They have martyred one of our own. Pray for every College Republican leader and member.”
All of this is to say that some Republican operatives have continued to spread this idea of martyrdom and assassination, especially with the murder of Charlie Kirk hanging over the conservative media sphere, even though the police have released a motive, as of writing.
Why This Matters
While it is certainly possible that the shooting was motivated by politics, the reality remains, as of writing, that we are operating on very little information. Responsible actors, meaning advocates who actually want to address this horrid tragedy, would not immediately take the suffering of victims for their own ends.
While one can argue policy over how to prevent such shootings in the future, something I firmly believe is fair, presupposing political violence without evidence is not only dishonest, but it also incentivizes more violence. If we are to have a more peaceful and just country, then we should wait for more information before making pronouncements about the motive behind this horrific attack.
References
Ahn, Katherine RosmanAshley, and Jenna Russell. 2025. “A Brown University Instructor Hid From Gunfire With His Students.” U.S. The New York Times, December 14. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/us/brown-shooting-classroom-victims.html.
“Authorities Will Release Person Detained in Brown University Shooting | AP News.” n.d. Accessed December 15, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/brown-university-shooting-suspect-search-1da03b12b2eac2b530172667d3df30c4.
FBI Director Kash Patel [@FBIDirectorKash]. 2025. “An update on the @FBI response at Brown University: @FBIBoston established a command post to intake, develop and analyze leads, and run them to ground. We activated the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, to provide critical geolocation capabilities. As a result, early https://t.co/KONDEbrduR.” Tweet. Twitter, December 14. https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2000244040667676940.
Gabe Guidarini [@GabeGuidarini]. 2025b. “They have martyred one of our own. Pray for every College Republican leader and member.” Tweet. Twitter, December 15. https://x.com/GabeGuidarini/status/2000405404933816650.
González-Ramírez, Andrea. 2025. “MAGA Is Already Spreading Misinformation About the Brown Shooting.” The Cut, December 15. https://www.thecut.com/article/maga-is-spreading-misinformation-brown-university-shooting.html.
Hernandez, Joe. 2025. “Brown University Shooting Victims Identified as Gunman Remains at Large.” National. NPR, December 15. https://www.npr.org/2025/12/14/nx-s1-5644153/brown-university-shooting-man-identified.
JD Vance [@JDVance]. 2025. “This beautiful young girl was one of the murdered students at Brown University. It takes special courage to lead an organization of conservatives on a left wing campus, and I am very sorry our country has lost one of its bright young stars. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord.” Tweet. Twitter, December 15. https://x.com/JDVance/status/2000610342951399864.
Olmstead, Edith. 2025. “MAGA Spreads Dangerous Conspiracy About Brown University Shooter.” The New Republic, December 15. https://newrepublic.com/post/204429/maga-conspiracy-brown-shooter-targeted-republicans.
“Roommate of Brown University Shooting Victim Says He Was Intelligent and Studying Neuroscience - CBS Boston.” n.d. Accessed December 15, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/video/roommate-of-brown-university-shooting-victim-says-he-was-intelligent-and-studying-neuroscience/.
William Branson Donahue [@realwilldonahue]. 2025. “I am filled with rage and sadness to learn that our Brown College Republicans VP, Ella Cook, has been identified as one of the victims from the attack. I’m told she was allegedly targeted for her conservative beliefs, hunted, and killed in cold blood. Losing Charlie three months https://t.co/Efwo1wpfFY.” Tweet. Twitter, December 15. https://x.com/realwilldonahue/status/2000402459135779277.