Rice University student found fatally shot in her dorm room on first day of class, prompting campus-wide lockdown

(CNN) — Students, faculty and staff at Rice University were locked down for nearly two hours on the first day of classes as police investigated the shooting deaths of two people, including a student who was found dead in her dorm room, a university spokesperson said.

A female student was found fatally shot in her room at the Houston school’s Jones College, a residential hall on the eastern edge of campus, spokesperson Chris Stipes told CNN. There are no signs of forced entry to the room, he noted.

A male was also found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he added. Investigators do not believe the man was a student, Stipes said.

It is unclear whether the man was found inside the dorm room or whether the victims knew each other. The university said police were investigating a potential homicide.

All remaining classes and campus activities were canceled shortly after the shelter-in place was issued at 5:40 p.m. CT, according to posts on the university’s social media accounts.

The university announced at 7:18 p.m. that the lockdown had been lifted.

The Rice University Police Department is leading the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department, Houston police said.

Jones College is one of 11 residential colleges that house Rice’s undergraduate students. Each year, new students are randomly sorted into a residential college, where they will stay for the rest of their undergraduate career.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire

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