Roommate of Brown University shooting victim remembers him as kind and full of joy
The roommate of one of the students killed in the Brown University shooting said his friend was a "ball of joy."
Students Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov died after a gunman opened fire in a classroom in an engineering building on the campus in Providence, Rhode Island Saturday afternoon. Nine others were wounded. The shooter has not been captured.
Freshman Khimari Manns was a roommate of Umurzokov at Brown. When he heard about the shooting, Manns sheltered in a restroom and reached out to his wrestling teammates, his classmates, and Umurzokov. But when he didn't hear back from Umurzokov during the campus lockdown, he began to get worried.
"Something didn't feel right. I texted him, and then he didn't text back," Manns told CBS News Boston.
Throughout the evening Saturday, Manns texted friends and called police to get updates. He was told that Umurzokov was one of the two victims around 10 a.m. Sunday.
"It feels like not reality," Manns said. He explained that the last time he spoke with his roommate was about the video game Pac-Man.
"What I do know is that Brown is grieving. I am grieving. The loss of him will be felt throughout this community. His soul truly did reverberate throughout the community," Manns said.
"He was always there for you"
Manns said Umurzokov was studying neuroscience and was extremely smart.
"He was kind. He reached out to me as soon as we got roommate assignments. Most importantly, he was just present. Whatever you asked him to do, he was always there for you," Manns said.
He will remember his roommate as thoughtful, compassionate, and having a warm, gentle spirit.
"Just a ball of joy, ball of energy. He raises everybody else to a certain level. He made sure I had my stuff done. He made sure he had his stuff done. He was just always there," Manns said.
He said that what he will miss most about Umurzokov is his smile.
"He'd come in there and cheer me up," Manns explained.
Manns said that he wants to make sure that people "don't wait until it's too late to make somebody feel like your heart is out to them. Give them their praise while they're here."
Emotions remain high on campus as students, faculty, and community members try to cope with the horrific tragedy.
"It's very stressful and it's very sad, especially for the victims," Brown student body president Talib Reddick said.
Students were told that all exams, final projects, and classes have been cancelled. Administrators said they are welcome to go home at any time.