In the early morning hours of September 16, 2022, the life of 21-year-old Allison Rice, a senior marketing major at Louisiana State University, was tragically cut short. After spending time with a friend at a bar in Baton Rouge, she was driving home. Just after 2:15 a.m., she found herself stopped at a train crossing on Government Street. It was in this vulnerable moment that her car was approached and an unknown assailant or assailants opened fire.
Rice was struck by multiple gunshots and died at the scene inside her vehicle.
The news of the violent and seemingly senseless act sent shockwaves through the community and left her family devastated. Authorities immediately launched an investigation into the homicide. Early in the investigation, police indicated that they did not believe Rice was targeted and that the shooting appeared to be an 'isolated and random act.' Rumors circulated about the motive, including the possibility of a gang initiation, but law enforcement officials dismissed these theories, stating they had no evidence to support them. The prevailing belief among some investigators and her family is that it may have been an attempted carjacking that went horribly wrong.
Despite the passage of time and a substantial reward offered for information, the case remains unsolved. The Baton Rouge Police Department, with assistance from federal agencies including the FBI, ATF, and DEA, has continued to investigate, but no arrests have been made and no suspects have been publicly named. Investigators obtained surveillance footage from the area, but it was reportedly too distant to identify those responsible. Allison Rice's family continues to grieve, holding onto the hope that someone will come forward with information that will lead to the capture of her killer or killers and finally bring them a measure of justice.
