‘He wanted to help people’: Friend of Brown freshman killed in mass shooting remembers his legacy

PROVIDENCE, RI — A high school friend of one of the two students killed in Saturday’s mass shooting at Brown University describes him as an inspiration to others.

18-year-old Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, originally from Uzbekistan in central Asia, accomplished a major milestone by getting into Brown University.

His friend told Boston 25 News that Umurzokov aspired to become a neurosurgeon.

He said Umurzokov was inspired by a doctor who operated on him as a child after he had a fluid build-up in his brain that sometimes affected his ability to walk.

“He wanted to help people the way he had been helped,” said Gavin Dobbs. “Everyone was so proud of him because he worked hard to get into that school.”

Dobbs met Umurzokov during their sophomore year of high school in Virginia.

He said he was immediately impressed by Umurzokov’s drive to succeed and willingness to help him academically.

“I pushed myself to be better and be more like him and take AP classes,” said Dobbs. “He was already such a brilliant and amazing person.”

19-year-old Ella Cook was also killed, and nine others were wounded when a gunman opened fire inside an engineering and physics building on campus.

“I don’t feel like anybody should fear for their lives on campuses, and this rising level of violence is definitely not okay,” said Dobbs.

Those affected by the heartbreaking act of gun violence are processing their grief with many unanswered questions.

Police are not speculating on a possible motive.

Col. Oscar Perez, chief of the Providence Police Department, just revealed on Monday for the first time that a 9mm firearm was used in the shooting.

New surveillance video and pictures of the suspect were released Monday afternoon as the manhunt continues.

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