One of the two Brown University students shot to death on Saturday was a leader of the college’s Young Republicans club and an active member of her Alabama church.
Ella Cook was the vice president of the group, according to social media posts.
“The New York Young Republican Club offers our deepest condolences to the family of Ella Cook, the Vice President of the College Republicans at Brown University,” the New York Young Republican Club posted on X.
“Ella was a leading Republican voice at Brown and her loss is mourned by all. Rest in peace,” the post said.
The New York Young Republican Club offers our deepest condolences to the family of Ella Cook, the Vice President of the College Republicans at Brown University.
Ella was a leading Republican voice at Brown and her loss is mourned by all. Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/n0gilRXAUm
— New York Young Republican Club 🇺🇸🗽 (@NYYRC) December 15, 2025
According to the Providence Journal, a since-deleted social media post from former Brown student Alex Shieh praised her courage.
“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,” Shieh wrote.
“Last spring, while I was under a disciplinary investigation for reporting on Brown’s administration for the conservative student paper, almost nobody wanted to be associated with me,” he wrote. “Ella was one of the few who were willing to stand with me in public and help hand out newspapers in front of the dining hall.”
Out of respect for Ella’s family and her memory, please wait until the police finish their investigation before speculating about any motive!
— Alex Shieh (@alexkshieh) December 15, 2025
On Sunday morning, the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, noted that Cook had been an active member there.
“Many of you heard about the tragedy, which happened at Brown University. … And sadly, tragically, one of those people is one of our parishioners,” Rev. R. Craig Smalley said, according to ABC.
“And for those of you who knew her, who know her, she was a just incredibly grounded and generous and faithful bright light,” he said.
He said Cook was involved in the church “over many years, as she was engaged and involved in our worship and in our community.”
Smalley said Cook “served here at the church and in the wider community, in all sincerity, just a tremendous, a tremendous and bright light in there at Brown University as well, in the time that she was there was such a light and such a witness.”
NEW: Brown University sophomore Ella Cook, identified as one of the shooting victims, was “a devoted Christian and a committed conservative.”
The announcement was made during a service at Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama.
“Some of you haven’t heard a lot of… pic.twitter.com/iSHUKodhZy
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 15, 2025
According to WPRI-TV, the other student killed was a freshman neuroscience major from Virginia.
The station did not give the student’s name.
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