Police at Rice University in Houston said they found two people dead in a female student’s dorm room Monday, prompting university officials to lock down the campus, CNN reported.
Andrea Rodriguez Avila was likely the victim of a murder-suicide allegedly committed by an unidentified man, according to police. Police said they found the man’s dead body in the dorm room with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to CNN.
Rice University Police Chief Clemente Rodriguez said officers discovered the bodies of Avila, who is a junior, and the unidentified male after family members requested a wellness check, CNN reported. (Faculty Member Killed In Campus Shooting That Locked Down University For Hours)
BREAKING UPDATE: Rice University female student found dead in housing unit, man also found dead with self-inflicted gunshot woundhttps://t.co/rM39EogQbW pic.twitter.com/MbqtGYnyYi
— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) August 27, 2024
Police said the suspected shooter did not appear to be connected to Rice University, according to the outlet.
Since there were no signs of forced entry, authorities believe that the shooter was invited into Avila’s residential hall, Jones College, CNN reported. Jones College is one of the 11 residential colleges that incoming freshmen are randomly assigned to live in for the entirety of their undergraduate career.
Investigators found a note from the suspect at the scene depicting relationship troubles, leading them to believe that the man shot Avila before turning the gun on himself, CNN reported.
University officials issued a campus-wide lockdown around 5:40 p.m. and cancelled the day’s remaining classes and activities, according to CNN.
After the lockdown was lifted at 7:18 pm, Rice University President Reginald DesRoches addressed the Rice community:
“This is a speech that no president ever wants to make. Tonight, I want all of our students, our parents and the entire Rice community to know that the Rice campus is safe and there is no immediate threat, and tonight we will wrap our arms around our students.”
Houston police are working with the Rice University Police Department, who is heading the investigation, CNN reported.
DesRoches said that the university is communicating with Avila’s parents and they are scheduled to arrive Tuesday in Houston, according to the outlet.
