CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — The sister of MuhammadAziz Umurzokov, one of the two students killed in a shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island, is speaking out publicly to honor her brother's memory and emphasize that victims are more than statistics.
Samira Umurzokova told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday that her brother, who graduated from Midlothian High School in 2025, was "kindhearted and "funny."
"He was the smartest person I've ever met," Umurzokova said. "He always helped someone before he helped himself without any hesitation. He never lost sight of who he was as a person."
Umurzokov's dream of becoming a neurosurgeon began when he was just 7 years old and was diagnosed with Chiari malformation.
"After weeks and weeks of doctor's visits and examinations, the doctor put him through like an 8-hour surgery, very risky brain surgery," Umurzokova said.
Following the surgery, Dr. Jeffrey Wisoff, now the director of pediatric neurosurgery at NYU, asked the young boy about his future aspirations.
"He said, 'Mr. Muhammad, 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,'" Umurzokova said.
WATCH: Slain Brown University student from Midlothian was ‘smartest person I’ve ever met,’ sister says
Despite his determination, Umurzokov had concerns about pursuing neurosurgery.
"He was very nervous about it because he was like, 'Oh, you know, any type of surgery is risky, but especially neurosurgery, you need to have very nimble, dainty hands,'" Umurzokova said. "And he's a pretty big guy, so he would always say and ask his friends, 'Would you trust me to be your neurosurgeon?'"
Umurzokova said the outpouring of support from Brown University illustrated her brother's impact on his college community.
"It was just crazy seeing how his friends from Brown just reached out so quickly," Umurzokova said. "I would probably say 80, 90 people reached out just sending me photos and sending me funny stories about him and it's just sort of reinforces his character in my head that he touched so many people in such a little amount of time," Umurzokova said.
She emphasized the human side of the tragedy.
"I just want people to know that he's a real person. He had real ambitious goals and aspirations like anyone else would and he never took anything for granted ever," Umurzokova said. "They're not just numbers, they're not just statistics. They're real people and real families are genuinely hurting like crazy because of their loss, and that's mainly the reason why I'm here... My parents just want people to hear their son's name, see their son's picture instead of seeing 2 dead, 9 injured."
WATCH: Friends remember Brown University shooting victim as brilliant, compassionate future doctor
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
📲: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
