'Wrong place at the wrong time': Slain LSU student Allison Rice's dad says 21-yr-old didn't have any enemies
Warning: This content contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some; readers' discretion is advised.
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA: Paul Rice, father of 21-yr-old Allison Rice who was shot dead in her car in Louisiana, claimed on Monday, September 19 that he believes his daughter was simply at the "wrong place at the wrong time."
Paul added that Allison's death has devastated the entire family. In a recent interaction with Fox, he stated, "She's not anyone that had enemies. We don't think that she was being stalked or followed, the only thing that I can really think at this point is it's a bad case of wrong place at the wrong time."
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The father also said, "It should've never happened, this should not have happened, it should not have happened." He added, "She's a beautiful child. She had one year left to graduate LSU, she had her whole future ahead of her." Allison was on her way home after a night out with friends and was shot dead near railway blocks at around 2.30 am on Friday, September 16. She was sitting in her car eating French fries at the time of the shooting in Louisiana.
Paul also claimed, "That particular area of Baton Rouge has a history of this type of activity." He then stated, "When you hear the words from the police man saying, 'she's with the coroner now, she didn't make it' - it's the most devastating words you can ever hear."
He further detailed how his family heard the news. The police knocked on their door at 4.45 am and Paul knew something was amiss right away. "We woke up to our dogs barking and the doorbell ringing," Rice told Fox.
He added, "Cops have shown up in the middle of the night before for various reasons, things going on in the neighborhood and all, but when they asked, 'Are you Allison's father, can we come in, please?' you knew at that point that it was going to be something terrible. I never could have imagined that the news would have been what it was."
Paul is now planning a funeral for his daughter. "That's something that as a parent I should never have to plan - a funeral for my child. My mother should not have to be involved in a funeral for her grandchild," the grieving father said. "This is just heartbreaking."
Till Monday, September 19, Baton Rouge police have not identified a suspect or a motive, with detectives at a loss to explain the brutal slaying. Police Chief Murphy Paul said after the incident, "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."
Seargent L'Jean McKneely with Baton Rouge Police added, "Chief Paul has been working hard with getting the camera surveillance systems up, we have that downtown, we're trying to push it and make it happen down to major corridors for Baton Rouge. Florida Street, Government Street." According to DailyMail, Allison's is the 74th death in 2022 in the East Baton Rouge Parish and comes after a string of crimes against LSU students. In a similar incident on August 19, another student was shot during an attempted robbery. As per FBI records, Baton Rouge has one of the highest homicide rates in Louisiana.