Police not ready to determine motive in LSU student’s shooting death; Allie Rice laid to rest

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - With speculation surrounding the shooting death of LSU senior Allison “Allie” Rice, Baton Rouge police officials are clarifying the status of their investigation.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for BRPD says investigators have not yet determined a motive in the shooting and are not ready to say whether they believe the shooter or shooters targeted Rice or if she was a victim of random circumstance.

However, BRPD spokesman Lt. Don Coppola says their investigators are working hard to find the people responsible and are actively following up on leads. District Attorney Hillar Moore added that all local agencies are doing what they can to help in the investigation.

Coppola is also asking the community to do its part by calling in any tips or information about the shooting to Crime Stoppers at (225) 344-7867. Tips can be given anonymously and can lead to a cash reward.

Rice, 21, was killed in the early morning hours of Friday, September 16, on Government Street near downtown Baton Rouge. Investigators believe someone fired nearly a dozen gunshots into her car while she was stopped at the railroad crossing near Eddie Robinson Drive, waiting for a train to pass. The shooting happened after 2 a.m. Police believe Rice was returning home after spending time out with friends in Mid City.

The marketing major’s death shocked many in the Baton Rouge community, in part due to the unexplained circumstances of the shooting. Rice’s father says her violent end revealed a new evil to his family.

“None of us are immune to what happened to Allie last week. This could happen to any of us. The violence, the lack of care for life, the lack of concern for life right now. It just baffles me. You know there’s so much crime going in Baton Rouge right now. I mean, this has really opened a lot of people’s eyes,” said Paul Rice.

Rice was a 2019 graduate of Dutchtown High School and set to graduate from LSU in the spring. She was an employee at The Shed BBQ in Baton Rouge, and the restaurant is now offering its own $10,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction in this case.

Rice was laid to rest at Hope Haven Garden of Memory Cemetery in Prairieville on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

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