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Police Accidentally Killed Hofstra University Student

After analyzing forensic evidence, Nassau County Police in New York said on Saturday that it was a shot fired by an officer that killed 21-year-old Andrea Rebello.

Rebello, a junior at Hofstra University, was being held hostage by a masked gunman who broke into a house she shared with her sister. Police came looking for the man, when he turned a gun on them. The man allegedly had Rebello in a headlock.

CBC News reports that's when an police officer shot eight rounds. Seven hit Dalton Smith, the gunman, and one of them hit Rebello.

CBS News adds:

"Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Dale said he had traveled to Rebello's Tarrytown, N.Y., home to explain to Rebello's parents what happened.

"'I felt obligated as a police commissioner and as a parent to inform them as soon as all the forensic results were completed,' Dale said.

"The veteran police officer, who was not identified, has about 12 years of experience on the Nassau County police force and previously spent several years as a New York City police officer, Dale said."

CNN has a bit more on Rebello:

"Rebello's high school principal, Carol Conklin-Spillane, said the twins' home community in Westchester, New York, was heartbroken.

"She described Rebello as a fun-loving, personable and self-aware young woman.

"Her parents, Fernando and Nella Rebello, are closely tied to the Portuguese community, and always worked to create opportunities for their children, Conklin-Spillane said.

"Rebello, a junior, was majoring in public relations."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.