A Louisiana State University senior was found shot and killed inside his car in downtown Baton Rouge on Friday morning.
Allison Rice was a 21-year-old Baton Rouge, Louisiana, college student who was shot and killed in her car while it was stopped near railroad tracks.
When Allison began her job as a bartender at The Shed BBQ on Burbank Drive three months ago, her charisma and bubbly personality charmed both coworkers and customers alike.
Set to graduate from LSU in May, the 21-year-old marketing major from Geismar was endlessly creative and loved to make up recipes for new drinks, her former boss, Chez Ciccone, said. But with her sights set on a new internship, she had recently worked her last shift.
According to a press release from the Baton Rouge Police Department, Allison was fatally shot at approximately 2:19 a.m. in the 1500 block of Government Street. She was “shot multiple times while sitting in the driver seat of her vehicle” and was pronounced dead at the scene, the release states.
Investigators with the Baton Rouge Police Homicide Unit said they do not know the motive for the shooting and have no suspects at this time.
A witness to the shooting said that Allison was attempting to make a U-turn at the railroad crossing when the shooting began, according to a report from New Orleans CBS affiliate WWL-TV. Allison’s car was reportedly shot at least five or six times. The East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office on Monday confirmed that Allison’s death was a homicide caused by “multiple gunshot wounds.”
She was reportedly on her way home after hanging out with some friends at a late-night establishment in the area that was popular with college students and young professionals.
The victim’s aunt Susie Rice Granier said the deceased was a “free spirit” who loved to sing and dance. She added, “The loss of a child, you can never get over that. The holidays are coming up. It’s going to be sad. It’s going to be really sad.”
Granier said she was in the car with her husband when they received the call that their niece had been murdered. They “just stopped at the stop sign and cried. That’s all we could do,” Granier told The Advocate.
Louisiana State University released a statement on Rice’s death expressing sadness and asking students to help the police if they have any information on the shooting. “The LSU community is saddened to hear of senior Allison Rice being killed overnight. Her family and friends are in our thoughts, and we encourage anyone who may have more information about this crime to contact Baton Rouge Police,” it read.
Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston reported that her “heart goes out to the family” of the LSU senior. She added, “This senseless violence is completely unacceptable, and Baton Rouge Police officers are thoroughly investigating to bring the perpetrator to justice.”
Meanwhile, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy said he was “devastated to learn about the tragic passing of LSU senior Allison Rice, whose life was taken in a senseless act of violence.”
Rice had attended Dutchtown High School, and the principal Matthew Monceaux also released a statement on her death:
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Allison Rice, who was a 2019 graduate of Dutchtown High School. Our hearts go out to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her. We will have counselors available to help our school community deal with this sad loss. If your child wishes to talk to a counselor, please encourage him or her to seek assistance from a teacher or counselor.”
Watch the video report below for more details:
