A Texas medical student well-known in her community as an Iranian activist was mysteriously shot and killed in her car, just yards from her home.

Gelareh Bagherzadeh, 30, was driving through her Houston townhouse complex around midnight when she was shot dead through her car window.

Authorities said nothing appeared to have been stolen from her car. Her cell phone and purse were found inside.

Homicide investigators responded to the scene and were told by witnesses that several gunshots were heard, a crash and then tires squealing, ABC News reported.

Police said that the last person to speak to Bagherzadeh was her close friend and ex-boyfriend who was on the phone with her when she was shot.

Bagherzadeh was of Iranian descent and was outspoken in promoting Iranian women's rights and criticizing the Iranian government.

Police don't currently believe her death was related to her activism, but the death is mysterious. Bagherzadeh's cell phone and purse were still inside. Another unexplained element is the question of why Bagherzadeh had turned her car onto a dead-end drive, in the opposite direction from her home.