'They have no footage or suspect': Slain student Allison Rice's pal Kaylin Mason 'shocked' as cops fail to make any arrest
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA: Detectives are at a loss as they have yet to identify a motive behind the brutal murder of Louisiana college student Allison Rice. The 21-year-old died after being shot more than 10 times while she waited at a train crossing in Louisiana, eating fries. At the time of the murder, she was on her way back home from a night out with friends.
The Louisiana State University Senior was discovered dead inside her bullet-riddled car in Baton Rouge on Friday, September 16. She had been partying with friends at a bar on Government Street not far from the spot where she was killed. She was possibly trying to turn around at the tracks when someone shot her several times through her windshield.
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Rice's devastated friends are shocked that police have still not been able to make any arrests. Her childhood friend Kaylin Mason, 21, told the Daily Mail, "She was a friend to everybody, she made a point to be friends with people who didn’t really have many friends. Allie was just a person who loved everyone and she held me accountable to be a good person, she was wonderful."
"The amount of people who feel this way about her is a long list, and I believe wholeheartedly that her reach was so vast, she filled everyone’s lives with joy," she added. "The situation so shocking, you never expect it to happen to you or someone you care about. The crime in this area has just gotten out of control. People are calling for change but it’s very evident and very clear that it has become outrageous."
Mason continued, "But when it happens to somebody like Allie it really opens your eyes that this is just not acceptable anymore. The fact that the police don’t know what is going on, the motive, it’s shocking. Allie was just driving, she didn’t have an enemy in sight or mind. I can’t comprehend how or why this happened. She wasn’t in with the wrong crowd, she wasn’t that kind of person."
Authorities found multiple shell casings close to the car Allison was discovered in. Fast food was found spilled on her lap, but nothing was stolen from the car. Allison suffered wounds to her arm and chest. It is believed that the case is not that of mistaken identity. A Baton Rouge Police spokesman said, "Rice was shot multiple times while sitting in the driver seat of her vehicle. Rice died at the scene. The motive and suspect(s) are unknown at this time."
Meanwhile, Mason said that young women living in Baton Rouge are now afraid of going out alone at night. "It’s outrageous and its painful and devastating and incomparable more than anything," she said. "Both Allie and I grew up in a suburb just outside of the city and even then it’s the kind of place that you don’t go to Walmart after dark alone."
She continued. "I moved to a safer area for college, so when I go home it’s almost a kind of culture shock. I had to remember that I couldn’t go to the store at 8pm for a notebook without someone to go with me. Or I would have to take my pepper spray with me. Everyone back home is also surprised that the police don’t have any surveillance footage."
Mason added, "Government Street is a busy street, we expected and anticipated that they would have something but they don’t. We also thought it would be a day and they would arrest someone or at least have a suspect, its very surprising that they have no footage or anything like that. It crazy to me they have no suspect identified either. You would think that the police wouldn’t be scratching their heads, which they are from what they’ve told us."
Mason shared a heartbreaking post on Facebook after Allison's death. "Today we lost someone too good for this world. I had to turn off my phone and keep my attention diverted today in order to get through an important dental interview. But once it was over, I had to sit down and attempt to process these events. How could someone do this to a girl like Allie? The girl I grew up with. The girl I mourned Breanna with. The girl who was the life of the party. How could that girl be gone? I really don't understand. Allie deserved so much more than this world... and instead she got the evil, senseless, and disgusting actions of one sick human being," she wrote, sharing pictures of both of them. "I gathered a bunch of old pictures to demonstrate how we will remember Allie. Full of love, full of life, and always smiling. She was so easy to love. She touched so many. You can feel her energy in every single picture. Rest In Peace Allie Rice ... you will truly be missed. Tell Bree hello from us... I'm sure she was the first one to give you a hug. I am sending my heart and prayers to her friends, family, and everyone who feels the impact of this loss. I am sure the list of people who feel heartbroken by this loss is endless."
Rice's death is s the 74th this year in the East Baton Rouge Parish. It comes after various other crimes were committed against LSU students. A student was shot during an attempted robbery on August 19, and there were wo separate kidnapping cases on the campus just days later. Baton Rouge has one of the highest homicide rates in Louisiana, the FBI says.