NEW ORLEANS — Friends and co-workers are mourning the loss of an LSU student gunned down overnight in Baton Rouge
According to police, Allison Rice, 21, was found in her car shot multiple times.
She was a senior marketing major from Geismar, which is in Ascension Parish.
Witnesses say Rice was stopped at a train crossing in the 1500 block of Government Street around 2:20 Friday morning, she tried to make a U-turn and someone started shooting.
Neighbor Floyd Normand heard the shots.
“We’ve got a lot of problems here, you know what I mean,” Normand said “You’ve got people doing things they should not be doing, stuff like that. I’m trying to stay focused, stay out of that life, and be in my house. When night falls, I try to be in my house.”
The part of Government Street where Rice was shot is near the Electric Depot, a popular late-night gathering spot for students and young professionals.
Baton Rouge police are investigating the shooting.
“I just left the scene prior to coming here,” Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul said. “Our detectives are out there canvassing the area. A lot of the investigative efforts that are going on behind the scenes. Very sad. Very sad.”
Rice worked at a barbecue restaurant just off campus called The Shed.
Her co-workers say she had a smile that could light up a room.
“Her whole life ahead of her,” Shed co-owner Luke Forstmann said. “She was so proud about an internship and graduating. She was just such an amazing girl with so much ahead of her.”
“It’s just devastating,” Shed co-owner Chez Ciccone said. “My staff, they’re crying. She was a part of our family.”
Rice’s family is also part owners of the Shed.
Some of her brothers and sisters also work there.
Her friends are asking anyone who knows anything about this shooting to please call the police.
“Somebody knows something, and this was just another night for them,” Ciccone said. “Whoever did this has no heart.”
“When it strikes home this close, it’s beyond painful,” Forstmann said.
LSU released this statement this morning saying:
"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.
Anyone with information can call Greater Baton Rouge Crimestoppers at 225-344-STOP.