Hofstra Student, Andrea Rebello, Killed In House Shooting Blocks Away From University
After an armed home invasion, student Andrea Rebello, was killed during an exchange of gunfire between the armed robber and police.
Andrea Rebello, fatally shot early Friday morning, was a junior at Hofstra Univeristy. Friday was the last day of finals at the university.
In a statement from Hofstra University, the school will be going on with the commencement ceremonies as planned.
Rebello lived with her twin sister Jessica in an off-campus house. A male suspect wearing a black ski mask forced his way into the residence, which the sisters shared with two other students, according to CNN.
The suspect knocked on the door of the home around 2:15 a.m., and when one of the residents looked to see who was there, he burst in, according to The New York Times.
At one point during the robbery, one of Andrea's roommates was able to leave the house and called the police, apparently it was to withdraw money for Dalton Smith, according to the police.
The police arrived within minutes to the victim's house just blocks away from Hofstra University.
The shootout between the gunman and the police killed both Andrea Rebello and the Dalton Smith. It is still unknown which shots killed Andrea Rebello.
"Shortly after our arrival, a shooting took place where the suspect is killed and one of the female victims are killed," said Deputy Inspector Kenneth Lack of the Nassau County Police Department, according to The New York Times.
The suspect, Dalton Smith, had an extensive criminal record and was wanted for violating his parole on a robbery conviction, according to The New York Times.
Many were crushed by the news of Andrea Rebello's death. The sister's were known to be close and the loss of Andrea for Jessica will be a terrible blow.
"There are twins who are just siblings and there are twins who are close, and then there was Andrea and Jessica," said Andrea's high school principal, Carol Conklin-Spillane, according to CNN. "They were best friends by choice."