HOUSTON, TX — A Baltimore native was shot and killed in her dorm room at Rice University in Houston on Monday, university officials said. Investigators said they found the suspected shooter dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities identified the victim as junior Andrea Rodriguez Avila. The Baltimore Sun reported that the 21-year-old was from Nottingham. She graduated from Perry Hall High School in 2021, according to WMAR.
Avila also graduated from the Community College of Baltimore County in 2023. CCBC called it a “devastating” and “tragic loss.”
CCBC Essex is hosting a candlelight vigil in memory of Avila on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“Her untimely death, which has garnered national attention, leaves many at CCBC heartbroken. We extend our deepest condolences to Andrea’s family and friends during this difficult time,” CCBC said on Facebook on Wednesday. “Let us come together to support one another and remember the life of this bright young woman whose time with us was tragically cut too short.”
Avila will join Rice in spring 2024, the Washington Post reported. She is a law student majoring in political science, the Post said.
A university spokesman told the Washington Post that Avila was involved in the following:
- The university-wide student programming committee
- The Multicultural Student Association
- The Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society
- The First-Year Experience Mentoring Program
- Peer study advice
- The University’s Honorary Council
Monday was the first day of fall classes at Rice University. WJZ said Avila’s family had not heard from her, so officials conducted a welfare check.
Rice University police said they found Avila dead in her room at Jones College on Monday afternoon, next to the man with the self-inflicted gunshot wound. There is no further threat to the community.
Authorities have not released the name of the deceased man, but they said he had no connection to the university.
According to The Post, Rice University Police Chief Clemente Rodriguez said it appeared Avila had let the man into the room.
Officials said they found a note on the shooter describing his past relationship with Avila, WJZ reported.
“A lot of it was about their relationship,” said Clemente Rodriguez, Rice University police chief, according to WJZ. “Obviously their relationship was problematic at the time.”
Rice University canceled classes on Tuesday and urged students to come together and support one another.
“This is a heartbreaking, devastating incident, and it is important to recognize that this loss will impact our close-knit community in the days and weeks ahead,” university President Reginald DesRoches said in a news release. “I want our students, parents and the Rice community to know that our campus is safe, that there is no further threat, and that we hold you in our arms with care and compassion.”
