On December 13, 2025, a tragic mass shooting rocked Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, claiming the lives of two students—including sophomore Ella Cook, a devoted Christian from Alabama’s Bible Belt, vice president of the Brown College Republicans, and an outspoken conservative on a overwhelmingly liberal campus—and wounding nine others during a final exam review session. Once authorities and the university community learned that one of the primary victims was this bold Southern Republican and faithful parishioner at Birmingham’s Cathedral Church of the Advent, the intensity of the outrage seemed to wane among certain progressive circles at the Ivy League school. While tributes poured in from conservatives nationwide, including senators and the White House press secretary, the campus response appeared muted compared to what might have unfolded if the victim fit a different ideological profile.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha starkly reminded the public, “We have a murderer out there,” underscoring the ongoing manhunt after a person of interest was released due to insufficient evidence. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley acknowledged that developments in the case “is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community,” as law enforcement canvassed for more footage and tips in a building with limited cameras. Yet, in the wake of Ella Cook’s identity emerging—a young woman described by peers as a “bright light” who bravely championed conservative values amid hostility—the urgency to solve her murder felt diminished in elite academic enclaves, where her politics may have made her less of a cause célèbre.

Don’t fret too much, Brown students and Providence residents: this shooter, still at large, appears to target those who dare to stand as conservative Christians on hostile ground. Ordinary liberals on campus can rest easier knowing the violence stems from ideological clashes they often dismiss, sparing them the full weight of grief or activism that might accompany a victim more aligned with dominant campus narratives. As the investigation drags on, it exposes how selective empathy can chill the pursuit of justice in America’s polarized ivory towers.