Family Identifies ‘Bright and Promising’ Student as Victim of Brown University Shooting: ‘He Had Big Dreams’

The second victim who died in Saturday’s mass shooting at Brown University has been identified.

Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov was identified by the Uzbekistan Foreign Affairs Ministry on social media Monday as the second student who died in Saturday’s shooting at the Providence, Rhode Island university, according to NBC News.

“The loss of innocent lives as a result of this tragedy is a heavy loss for all of us,” the Uzbekistan Foreign Affairs Ministry wrote in a post on Telegram, according to the outlet.

Umurzokov’s aunt also confirmed his death to NBC, telling the outlet that she found out the news when her nephew’s mother called her “in the middle of the night.

“He was very kind, smart. Attended talented and gifted schools,” Umurzokov’s aunt said, adding that he “wanted to be a neurosurgeon ’cause when he was 10 he had a very serious eight-hours-long brain surgery.”

“We hoped that he would have had a bright future,” the grieving aunt added, according to NBC.

Umurzokov’s family also identified him in a GoFundMe set up to help his family cover funeral costs.

“He was incredibly kind, funny, and smart,” family member Samira Umurzokova wrote in the fundraiser. “He had big dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon and helping people. He continues to be my family’s biggest role model in all aspects. He always lent a helping hand to anyone in need without hesitation, and was the most kind-hearted person our family knew.”

Samira added: “Our family is incredibly devastated by this loss.”

The American Uzbekistan Association also identified Umurzokov in a social media post Monday, calling him “a bright and promising Uzbek American student” who was “known for his sharp intellect, kind heart, and quiet willingness to help anyone in need.”

“He carried himself with humility and compassion, earning the respect and affection of those around him,” the association added. “His curiosity, discipline, and generosity reflected both his character and the values of the community that raised him.”

“His passing has left an immeasurable void in the hearts of his family, friends, classmates, and the broader Uzbek American community,” the association continued.

The other victim of Saturday’s shooting, Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore, was identified on Sunday. Cook’s name was announced during a church service at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Ala., where she attended.

“Tragically, one of our parishioners, Ella Cook, was one of those who was killed yesterday,” the church’s Rev. Craig Smalley announced during the service, which was streamed online. “She was an incredible, grounded, faithful, bright light. Not only growing up here in the ways… she encouraged and lifted up those around her, but at Brown University. She was an incredible light [there] as well.”

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Police are still searching for the suspect responsible for Saturday’s mass shooting, PEOPLE previously reported. Police had taken a person of interest into custody, but they have since been released.

Umurzakov and Cook were killed after a gunman entered an engineering building on campus and opened fire at around 4 p.m. local time on Dec. 13. The shooting also injured nine others.

Of the nine people injured in the shooting, one remained in critical condition while six others in critical but stable condition, a Brown University Health spokesperson told NBC News. Two other victims were stabilized and another had been discharged as of Sunday morning.