Laura Rodriguez, a senior at Syracuse University, was accidentally shot and killed by her brother in Houston on Tuesday. 

Officers from the Houston Police Department responded to reports of a shooting around 1 p.m, Houston’s ABC affiliate reported. The student’s brother was showing her a new gun when it went off, hitting her in the neck, police said at a news briefing. Rodriguez, 19, was pronounced dead on the scene. 

Rodriguez, who majored in psychology, was an outstanding student and the first in her family to attend college, Dean of Students Marianne Thomson said in a campus-wide email Wednesday. She studied remotely during the fall semester and came to SU in fall 2019 through the SU Abroad Discovery Program in Madrid. 

“Together with Chancellor Kent Syverud, and on behalf of our entire Syracuse University family, we extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to Laura’s family, friends and loved ones,” Thomson said in the email. “We hold all of those who knew and loved Laura close to our hearts as they mourn this loss.”

Students can contact the Barnes Center at The Arch for 24/7 counseling and the Dean of Students Office for ongoing support. Faculty and staff can also receive assistance through SU’s Carebridge program, and campus community members can access additional support and services from Hendricks Chapel.