When Allison Rice began her job as a bartender at the The Shed BBQ on Burbank Drive three months ago, her charisma and bubbly personality charmed both coworkers and customers alike.
Set to graduate from Louisiana State University in May, the 21-year-old marketing major was endlessly creative, her former boss, Chez Ciccone, said. But with her sights set on an internship with the American Dermatology Association, she had recently worked her last shift.
“We are so proud of the direction you are taking,” Ciccone recalled telling her during their last conversation. “You’ve got your entire life ahead of you. We wish you the best of luck and you’re always welcome to come back and pick up a shift here whenever you’d like.”
That future was cut short Friday when Rice was found shot to death inside her car on Government Street, eliciting renewed calls from the mayor and from residents to end the wave of violence plaguing the city.
But for Rice’s grieving family, it’s already too late...