The White House paid tribute to Ella Cook, the college Republican leader named as one of the student victims in the Brown University shooting.
"There are no words," said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a post on X. "Thinking of her family and friends, especially her parents. God please bless them."
The Context
Cook was one of the two people killed after a gunman opened fire in the university's engineering building during final exams on the Ivy League campus in Providence, Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon. Nine others were injured.
A search for the suspect remains underway, after officials on Sunday night said a person of interest will be released after law enforcement determined there was no basis to keep the individual in custody.
What To Know
Cook was a sophomore student from Birmingham, Alabama, and the vice president of the Brown chapter of College Republicans of America.
Alabama's Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth said she was a "a devoted Christian and a committed conservative who represented the very best of Alabama."
Cook was a parishioner at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham. Her death was announced during a service at the church on Sunday morning.
"Tragically one of our parishioners, Ella Cook, was one of those who was killed yesterday," the Reverend Craig Smalley said during the service.
"She was an incredible grounded, faithful, bright light, not only here, growing up here at the Advent and the myriad ways in which she served faithfully, in the ways in which she encouraged and lift up those around her. But at Brown University, she was an incredible light in that particular place as well."
What People Are Saying
Martin Bertao, the president of College Republicans of America, said in a statement posted on X: "We are devastated to learn of the loss of our Brown College Republicans Vice President, Ella Cook. Ella was known for her bold, brave, and kind heart as she served her chapter and her fellow classmates. Our prayers are with her family, our Brown CR's, and the entirety of the campus as they heal from this tragedy."
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, wrote on X: "Tragic and heartbreaking. Heidi and I are lifting Ella's family up in prayer. May God's peace and comfort be upon them in the face of this unimaginable grief."
What Happens Next
Police are continuing to search for the suspect in the shooting.
Meanwhile, Brown has canceled all remaining classes, exams, papers and projects for the semester and told students they could leave campus.