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New details have emerged about the Rice University student who was gunned down in an apparent murder-suicide that rocked the elite Houston school on the first day of classes.
Andrea Rodriguez Avila, 21, was a junior political science and pre-law major from Nottingham, Maryland. She had just transferred to Rice in spring 2024 from the Community College of Baltimore County, Fox News Digital has learned.
An accomplished student, Avila was deputy parliamentarian of the Rice Student Association, a peer academic advisor at her residential hall – Jones College – and a member of the university’s Honor Council.
A spokesperson for the university confirmed that Avila’s family arrived in Houston on Tuesday morning – a day after the tragedy.
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“[Avila’s family] is receiving support from the university’s leadership team during this profoundly challenging time. They have requested privacy as they mourn their loss but are deeply appreciative of the outpouring of thoughts and prayers from the community,” a university spokesperson said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.
Avila was found dead in her dorm room Monday when university police conducted a welfare check. Family had expressed concern that they were unable to get in touch with her.
A man, who was not a student at the university, was also found dead in the room with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
Houston police have not yet released the identity of the suspected shooter, but say he is a 22-year-old believed to be from Florida. The release of his identity is pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
Rice University Police Chief Clemente Rodriguez confirmed Avila and the man were in a “dating relationship.”
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A note left at the scene indicated that the pair were involved in a “troubled relationship,” police said.
The heartbreaking crime has rocked the Rice community on what should have been an exciting start to the fall semester.
Rice University President Reginald DesRoches said the campus has been “shaken to its core” on a day that should have been filled with “promise and new beginnings.”
“The pain we feel on campus tonight is immeasurable, and I know that words cannot fully capture the sorrow and grief that many of you may be experiencing. I urge you to lean on each other, to offer support and compassion, and to remember that we are all joined in our grief and care,” DesRoches wrote in a message on the school’s website.
Classes were canceled at the school on Tuesday.
Rice is a small school with only about 8,500 students. Tuition is about $60,000 a year.
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