The tragic loss of Ella Cook, a Brown University student, has left a profound impact on those who knew her, especially her close friend, Phoebe Peus. Peus recently shared emotional memories of Cook during an appearance on Fox News, recalling how their friendship blossomed through their involvement in the university’s Republican club.

As one of the few women in the club, Peus found a kindred spirit in Ella. “Ella was truly outspoken,” Peus said, her voice filled with emotion. “I want to honor her by striving to make a difference, just as she did.”

Peus also shared a poignant conversation she had with another mutual friend from the club. “He told me, ‘We have to live a purposeful life, for Ella,'” she recounted, underscoring the deep sense of loss felt by those who had been close to her.

The interview turned even more emotional as host Bill Hemmer reminded Peus of their plans to meet at church, a reunion that was heartbreakingly cut short by the tragic events of Saturday’s shooting. Peus’s tears reflected the sorrow and shock that such a sudden loss brings.

Peus broke down again as host Bill Hemmer reminded her that she and Ella were going to next see each other at church, before she tragically lost her life in the shooting on Saturday. 

‘And the next time you’re in church, she’s going to be with you,’ Hemmer said. ‘You’ve got an angel in heaven, Phoebe.’ 

Cook lost her life in the shooting alongside American-Uzbek neuroscience student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, with nine others injured in the horror episode. 

On Tuesday, Rhode Island authorities released the latest image of the gunman walking the streets after the shooting, with the grainy, vague image bringing mounting pressure on investigators’ bungled attempts to track down the suspect. 

A short timeline of the suspect’s movements in the minutes after the shooting showed the unidentified gunman walking the quiet streets from around 2:55pm on Saturday, before surveillance cameras eventually lost the gunman.  

Brown University student Phoebe Peus, a close friend of shooting victim Ella Cook, broke down in tears as she recalled how their Republican club at college brought them together

Peus recalled how she was brought close to Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore at Brown University and a vice-president of the school’s Republican club, over their ‘outspoken’ beliefs

On Tuesday, Rhode Island authorities released the latest image of the gunman walking the streets after the shooting, with the grainy, vague image bringing mounting pressure on investigators’ bungled attempts to track down the suspect

Cook was the vice-president of Brown University’s Republican Club, and was remembered at a memorial service after her passing by Reverend Craig Smalley as ‘incredible, grounded, faithful bright light.’

‘She encouraged and lifted up those around her,’ Smalley said.

Former Brown student Alex Shieh, who said he knew Cook, wrote on X that she was known on campus as a Republican leader, but was widely respected across ideological lines.

‘Everyone at Brown who knew Ella, regardless of their politics, found her to be friendly and kind,’ Shieh wrote.

‘My thoughts are with Ella’s family. Ella was a promising young leader taken too soon. I knew Ella through Brown Republicans, where she was vice-president.

‘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.’

A perceived lack of action in identifying the suspect in the shooting has brought increasing scrutiny on authorities in the days since the attack unfolded. 

Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov (pictured left), the second Brown University victim killed on Saturday, has been remembered by his roommate as an aspiring neurosurgeon and ‘ball of joy’

A memorial for the two slain Brown University students, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook

A $50,000 reward has been issued for information leading to the suspect’s arrest, with authorities on Monday releasing new surveillance footage of the killer walking the Providence, Rhode Island, community after opening fire

In the latest footage, the suspect was seen walking slowly along a street in the aftermath of the attack that killed two people

Criticisms escalated as officials announced on Sunday they had arrested a ‘person of interest’ in the case, only for them to release the suspect without charges hours later. 

Cops had also previously announced that they had a suspect ‘in custody’ in the immediate aftermath of the killings before walking back the news, and shared conflicting reports of a secondary shooting that were ‘unfounded.’ 

Hours after the shooting, the first set of surveillance footage was shared by authorities on Monday in hopes of triggering a new lead, showing the suspect walking slowly through the Providence, Rhode Island, community.  

Officials seemingly admitted they had nothing as they released the footage, with the university appealing for help from witnesses to offer ‘even an incidental detail’ that could point to the gunman’s identity.

The gunman opened fire on a weekend study session classroom on the seventh floor of Brown University’s engineering building on Saturday afternoon, and officials said he walked into the building because it was left unlocked for midterm exams. 

In an updated description from the FBI, the suspect is described as standing 5’8″, with ‘stocky build’, wearing a black mask, dark jacket, black beanie, gloves and boots. 

Investigators have come under scrutiny in the days after the shooting, as footage and images of the gunman have failed to offer a look at the suspect’s face or specific information to track them down. 

FBI Director Kash Patel has been at the center of criticisms of the investigation, as he was accused of repeating a pattern throughout the year of premature announcements of suspects

Students are seen sheltering in place on Saturday evening after the shooting rocked the Providence, Rhode Island, campus 

Despite over 400 law enforcement agents deployed to assist the manhunt, authorities have been criticized for a lack of movement in tracking down the suspect 

Criminal profiler John Kelly told Fox News that the security lapse of allowing the doors to be unlocked allowed Brown University campus to be a ‘soft target’ for the ‘organized’ killer. 

Kelly cited unlocked doors, an apparent knowledge of the layout of the engineering building and its surveillance cameras as evidence that the killer meticulously planned the attack ahead of time.

‘College was a soft target – doors open and no security,’ said Kelly, a criminal profiler and the president of STALK Inc.

‘The killer was familiar with the area, enraged, probably at the college or engineering program. Organized,’ he said.  

‘Dressed for the occasion – and very comfortable with a semiautomatic.’

In the latest footage, the suspect was seen walking slowly along a street in the aftermath of the attack that killed two people.

The gunman was seen walking with his hands behind his back, at one point stopping to turn around and look across a road and over a fence with no apparent urgency.

With the suspect remaining at large into Tuesday, Kelly said the task for investigators to track down the gunman grows increasingly difficult the longer the manhunt continues.

‘They don’t know if he’s 500 miles away or five doors down the street,’ he said.

‘What they do know is he’s a psycho killer and mass shooter. If they don’t get him, there is a lot of fear for people living there, and there will be a lot of scared kids returning to campus.’