Flags flew at half-staff and a moment of silence was held during the commencement ceremonies for a college student shot during gunfire exchange near Hofstra University in Long Island, where the female victim went to school.
She was a public relations major, preparing to graduate in the coming days.
That all changed when a man broke into the home of Andrea Rebello, 21, where she lived with her twin sister, and another woman. A young man and woman were also there the night of the crime.
The male suspect Dalton Smith, 30, allegedly knocked on their college house door wearing a ski mask and holding a pistol. When someone answered he broke it down and entered, the New York Times reports.
Smith held the twin sisters and the young man hostage. He allegedly let the other woman leave whom he ordered to get money from a nearby ATM; she left and called 911.
When police arrived, they saw the unidentified man hiding behind a couch on the first floor and Rebello's sister running out the door. One of the officer's walked inside and found the suspect holding Rebello in a headlock at gun point.
The officer began shooting when Smith pointed his gun at him. He struck Smith seven times and Rebello once, USA Today reports. They both died at the scene.
An investigation is underway while the unidentified officer remains on paid leave.
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