by WorldTribune Staff, December 16, 2025 Real World News
Of the nearly 12,000 students at Brown University, what are the odds that a random shooter would kill one of the less than 100 known conservatives?
Ella Cook, the 19-year-old vice chair of the university’s College Republicans, was one of two students killed in the Dec. 13 attack. The gunman remains at large despite the school’s 800 surveillance cameras.
“Only 0.08% of Brown students are very conservative. About 92 students. One is dead. That’s not random, and three days later we still have no useful details,” Republican strategist Caroline Wren noted on Steve Bannon’s War Room broadcast on Tuesday (see below).
In a Tuesday analysis, Revolver News noted that Cook was “murdered in a shooting that has way more questions than answers. The official statements are just that – very official. We’re told the investigation is ongoing. But outside the university’s carefully worded updates, a growing number of sources are raising very serious concerns that this was not a random act of violence—it was targeted.”
Revolver also pointed out that “despite having more cameras than Hollywood, the shooter hasn’t been identified. But the consistency of what’s being alleged is enough to warrant a report.”
Veteran journalist Mark Halperin’s sources have told him that Cook may have been the intended target.
Halperin said he does not know whether this is true, but if it were it would significantly change how this case should be understood.
Halperin pointed to the reported behavior of the gunman: In many school shootings, the perpetrators continue until stopped. The Brown shooter reportedly entered the classroom Cook was in, carried out the attack, and left.
“That has led many to believe that this looks more like a targeted act than some random spree,” Revolver News noted.
Halperin then pointed to the response from authorities, who assured Brown students they were “safe” even though no suspect had been taken into custody.
Halpering also pointed to the surveillance question that keeps coming up. Brown University is among the most heavily monitored campuses in the country. But days later, there’s been no public identification of a suspect.
“That right there has left many people drawing some understandable conclusions,” the Revolver News analysis said. “In other words, authorities hate it when the suspect might not fit their ‘narrative.’ ”
“Cook was not some “anon” student. She was a visible conservative leader on a campus, with very strong views on the trans movement,” Revolver News added. “Many believe Ella’s opposition to trans ideology may have played a role in her being targeted. That’s what happened to Charlie Kirk, when a pro-trans left winger (allegedly) shot and killed him in front of his family and supporters.”
A citizen journalist shared a post on X, citing a source (none of these claims have been independently verified) as saying:
“Ivy rumor mill says that Ella Cook, one of the victims at Brown from Birmingham, Alabama, was a leader in a small conservative group that was opposed to trans ideology. Cops may have indicated to the family she was specifically targeted in the shooting. “Supposedly, killer entered with a plan and shot Cook in the face first. Cook was doing the review session with her normal person friend group.”
Revolver News concluded: “If the victim was targeted, it changes everything. If she wasn’t, the public deserves to know why so many signs point in that direction. Either way, the pattern of escalating violence toward conservatives cannot be ignored anymore by either side.”
WREN: If this was targeted, the target was Ella Cook, a 19 year old College Republicans vice chair. Only 0.08% of Brown students are very conservative. About 92 students. One is dead. That’s not random, and three days later we still have no useful details. @CarolineWren pic.twitter.com/8Fpv4IqAel
— Grace Chong, MBI (@gc22gc) December 16, 2025
Analysis: Brown U shooting may have targeted conservative student added by Editor Two on
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