CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Joseph McGonagle will never forget the night his friend MukhammadAziz Umurzokov walked across Brown University's campus in the cold just to check on him.
"I was on the opposite side of the campus and I remember one time I was sad, and he walked the entire way in the cold by himself at like 2 a.m. to come check on me, make sure I was OK, and he was like, 'Let's go get something to eat, man. Let's go.' That's the kind of guy he was," McGonagle said.
McGonagle, a fellow Brown freshman, is among dozens of friends and loved ones remembering Umurzokov, the Midlothian High School graduate killed in Saturday's mass shooting at the university. A gunman burst into a lecture hall and began firing, killing Umurzokov and Ella Cook from Alabama. Nine others were wounded, including Clover Hill graduate Matthew Wang, in the attack.
A cruel twist of fate
For McGonagle, there's cruel irony in how Mukhammad, a pre-med student, ended up in that lecture hall. He was simply supporting a mutual friend.
"He just tagged along with them to go to that econ session even though he wasn't in the class he just wanted to keep him company. I mean that's something he would do," McGonagle said. "The fact that he wasn't supposed to be there is really sad."
McGonagle says Mukhammad was excited about winter break because his parents were on a religious trip.
"He was really excited to go home for winter break in particular because his parents were on a religious trip, and so he would have the whole house to himself basically. He was talking about he was excited to see his sisters and his niece," he said.
A dream born from personal experience
Friends describe Mukhammad as a brilliant student, devoted friend and community builder. His sister Samira Umurzokova says her brother knew exactly what he wanted to be ever since he underwent brain surgery as a young child.
"Asked him and he said 'Mr. Mukhammad, what do you want to be when you grow up?' And he said, 'I want to be a neurosurgeon just like you, so I can help kids like me,'" she recalled.
Despite his drive and achievements, Mukhammad sometimes doubted whether he was suited for his chosen field.
"He was very nervous about it because he was like, any type of surgery is risky but especially neurosurgery, you need to have very nimble, dainty hands and he's a pretty big guy, and so he would always ask his friends, 'would you trust me to be your neurosurgeon?'" Samira said.
WATCH: Slain Brown University student from Midlothian was ‘smartest person I’ve ever met,’ sister says
Sister shares family's grief
Samira Umurzokova is sharing her family's grief while honoring her brother's memory. She says she wants the world to know who her brother was beyond the tragedy that claimed his life.
"He was the most kind-hearted, funny, he was the smartest person I've ever met. He always helped someone before he helped himself, without any hesitation," she said.
"My parents just want people to hear their son's name, hear their, see their son's picture, instead of seeing 2 dead, 9 injured," Umurzokova said.
All who knew and loved Mukhammad ask for one thing: remember the young man with the bright future who already made the world better.
"He's a real person, like he had real ambitious goals and aspirations like anyone else would, and he never took anything for granted ever and me being here I want people to know that him and the other victims are not just numbers, they're not just statistics, they're real people and real families are genuinely hurting like crazy, because of their loss," Samira said.
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