“Let’s stand together, honor her spirit and find strength in our unity as a community,” University President Reginald DesRoches said.
HOUSTON — When the Rice Owls take on the Sam Houston State Bearkats on Saturday, they’ll be honoring 21-year-old Andrea Rodriguez Avila, the student who was killed in an apparent murder-suicide in her dorm earlier this week.
Editor’s note: The above video is from KHOU 11’s previous coverage of this story.
Rice University President Reginald Desroches announced the special decal, which will bear the young woman’s name, on social media Thursday afternoon.
“Let’s stand together, honor her spirit and find strength in our unity as a community,” DesRoches said.
We have not yet seen what the helmets will look like.
Avila’s body was discovered Monday around 4:30 p.m. during a welfare check. Police said the shooter, 22-year-old Habeneyom Belai, was also found dead in the room with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. There were no signs of forced entry.
Belai, who wasn’t a student at the university, had left a note behind detailing his troubled relationship with Avila, according to Rice University Police Chief Clemente Rodriguez.
Remembering Andrea Rodriguez Avila
According to university officials, Avila was a junior, pre-law student at Rice majoring in political science.
She is from Nottingham, Maryland, and transferred to the university in spring 2024 from Community College of Baltimore County.
While attending college in Baltimore, Avila was active in the college-wide student programming board, Multicultural Student Association, Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and the First Year Experience Mentor program, according to the university.
While at Rice University, officials said Avila was deputy parliamentarian of the Rice Student Association, a peer academic advisor at Jones College and an at-large representative of the university’s honor council.
Resources for victims of domestic or family violence
Domestic and family violence cases in the Houston area have increased at an alarming rate. Victims often suffer in silence because they feel scared, helpless or ashamed.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, here are some discreet ways to reach out for help.
The Houston Area Women’s Center has a 24-hour hotline for victims of domestic violence at 713-528-2121 or 1-800-256-0551.
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