Rice University Student Killed In Apparent Murder-Suicide

A Rice University student is dead following an apparent murder-suicide on campus on the first day of the fall semester. The University Police Department says officers found junior Andrea Rodriguez Avila dead from a gunshot wound inside her residence hall at Jones College yesterday afternoon. A man believed to be her boyfriend was found dead nearby from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. A note found at the scene indicated troubles in the couple's relationship. Police had responded to Rodriguez Avila's dorm room to perform a welfare check after she missed a class. The shooting led to a shelter-in-place order, and classes and campus activities were canceled for the rest of the day.