A college student, identified as Andrea Rodriguez Avila, was found fatally shot in her dorm room at Rice University in Houston on Monday afternoon. The suspect in the shooting, whom she was dating, was found dead nearby from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A note left behind suggested that the two were having a troubled relationship. The suspect’s identity was not released, but he may be from Florida.
Campus police had been called in for a welfare check by Avila’s family after she missed a class and was not responding to contact. When officers entered her room at the Jones College residence hall, they found her body along with the suspect and the note. There was no sign of forced entry into the residence, indicating that the suspect entered with Avila’s access.
Rice University assured the campus community that there was no immediate threat and that counseling was available 24 hours a day for students. The university president, Reginald DesRoches, expressed that the campus was safe and that they would support the students during this difficult time.
Jones College, where the incident occurred, has a history of being a place where women could reside on campus when it started in 1957. It has since evolved into a coeducational residence hall. Resources for crisis support and domestic violence help were provided in the message addressed to students, parents, staff, and faculty members.
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