Brown President Paxson Lashes Out at Criticism of Management of Mass Shooting

Brown President Paxson Lashes Out at Criticism of Management of Mass Shooting

Brown University President Christina Paxson lashed out during the media briefing on the investigation into the mass shooting on campus on Tuesday.

Paxson opened her comments by thanking the police and Governor Dan McKee, as well as Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.

“I want to begin by thanking the many law enforcement agencies that continue to work around the clock on this case - it’s very impressive. I also want to thank the Mayor and the Governor for their continued support," said Paxson. 

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She then went into her messaging, and her tone changed.

“The primary point that I wanted to address before we get to questions is that Brown is deeply committed to the safety, security, and well-being of our community. And I’ve been deeply saddened to see people questioning that,” said Paxson. 

It was unclear who she was directing the comments at.

 

Not Responsible

She then went on to say that Brown was not responsible for the incident.

“We understand that as time goes on, there is maybe a natural instinct to assign responsibility for a tragic event like this. Anxiety and fear is very natural - but the shooter is responsible. Horrific gun violence took the lives of these students and hospitalized others. It’s deeply sad and tragic that schools across the country are targets of violence - Brown is no exception,” Paxson said.

The two students killed in the attack at Brown University are MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, 18, and Ella Cook, 19. Nine other Brown students were injured.

But while Paxson was defending her administration’s actions this week, CNN security expert Juliette Kayyem criticized the university for delaying interviews with students and staff who may have witnessed the incident or the person of interest.

The University waited until Monday night — more than two days after the shooting — to encourage the Brown community to contact Providence police for interviews.

BrownUAlert posted Monday night at 6:26 PM, stated: The Providence Police Department has asked that anyone from Brown who was in Barus & Holley on Friday or Saturday, Dec. 12-13, arrange for an interview. Even an incidental detail may be helpful in investigating. To contact Providence police, please email [email protected] and include your name, contact information, and timeframe and location in the building.

 

 

The problem is that the University ended the semester on Sunday after the shooting, and students flooded out of the Providence campus. 

“We are cooperating fully with law enforcement and again, we thank the multiple agencies that have been working so hard, day and night with increased patrols to keep our campus safe and to investigate this horrific shooting,” she added.

 

 

A Difficult Couple of Years

In the past couple of years, Paxson has faced criticism for her handling of antisemitism on campus and for Brown’s agreement with the Trump administration.