By James Myers, OAN Staff
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 1:36 PM
A Rice University student in Houston, Texas, was found dead in his dorm room from an apparent suicide, causing the campus to be placed on lockdown for nearly two hours while students finished their first day of classes, police and university officials said.
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Rice University Police Chief Clemente Rodriguez said Andrea Rodriguez-Avila was found by university police after a concerned family member called to check on her well-being, and police confirmed she had missed classes on Monday.
She was found in a room with a man, who was not a student at the university, who had died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In a letter to the Rice University community, university dean Bridget Gorman confirmed Avila's death.
“There was no evidence of forced entry into her room,” Gorman wrote. “RUPD is working with the Houston Police Department and please be assured that the campus is safe.”
Gorman said the community was mourning “the loss of a wonderful person taken from us too soon.”
The police chief said investigators found a note written by the suspect who shot Avila, saying he shot and then killed himself, and that the couple had a volatile relationship.
Rodriguez said the shooter likely accompanied Avila to the Jones College dorms.
The university said the startling discovery led to a campus-wide lockdown starting at about 5:40 p.m. CST, with all classes canceled for the remainder of Monday.
The university announced the lockdown had been lifted at 7:18 p.m.
Meanwhile, Rice University Police are leading the investigation with assistance from the Houston Police Department, the Houston Police Department said in a statement.
The university has 11 independent residential colleges, which the school's website describes as “vibrant communities where students live, eat, and socialize with their peers, faculty, staff, and alumni.”
The university said Avila's parents have been in contact with the university and plan to fly to Houston on Tuesday.
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