Campus Alert Archive
UArizona

Volleyball Courts After Dark: Pima Community College Student Killed Outside Arizona Sonora Residence Hall

AZshootingemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On September 22, 2024, a 19-year-old Pima Community College student was fatally shot on the volleyball courts outside the Arizona Sonora Residence Hall at the University of Arizona. UAPD officers arrived at 11:01 PM MST, two minutes after notification, and the first UAlert went out at 11:33 PM with an all-clear following around 1:00 AM.

Alerts
3
Response
34 min
Killed
1
Injured
0
Institution
University of Arizona
Public R1 · AZ
~49,000 studentsUAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimThe Daily Wildcat (UA student newspaper), quoting the UAlert text directly67 chars
Shooting near Park Ave/4th Street. Police on scene. Avoid the area.
The Daily Wildcat and Arizona Sonoran News both quote this text as the verbatim UAlert sent at 11:33 PM MST on September 22, 2024
The 34-minute delay between UAPD notification (10:59 PM) and the first UAlert (11:33 PM) prompted UA Police Chief Chris Olson to take 'full responsibility' for the failure to notify the campus community in a timely manner
The terse, three-sentence format reflects the SMS character constraints of the UAlert system
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction237 chars
UAlert UPDATE: UAPD is investigating a fatal shooting near Arizona Sonora Residence Hall. This is believed to be an isolated incident. There is no ongoing threat to campus. Suspect is not in custody. If you have information contact UAPD.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from local media reporting on the UAlert sequence
The incident was quickly determined to be isolated and not an ongoing threat to the campus community
The victim was later identified as 19-year-old Minhaj Jamshidi, a Pima Community College student
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction227 chars
UAlert ALL CLEAR: The scene near Arizona Sonora Residence Hall has been secured. This was an isolated incident. UAPD continues to investigate. Classes will be held as scheduled. Contact UAPD if you have information at 621-8273.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from The Daily Wildcat coverage noting the all-clear was issued around 1:00 AM
A follow-up UAlert at 10:27 AM on September 23 confirmed classes would be held as scheduled
Context

Background

On the night of September 22, 2024, UAPD received notification of a shooting at 10:59 PM MST at the volleyball courts outside the Arizona Sonora Residence Hall near Park Avenue and Fourth Street. Officers arrived at 11:01 PM and found a college-aged male with gunshot wounds. Despite life-saving efforts, the victim, 19-year-old Minhaj Jamshidi, was pronounced dead at the scene. Jamshidi was a Pima Community College student studying building and construction technology who had moved to Tucson from Afghanistan in 2021. Video evidence later showed a physical altercation preceding the shooting. The suspect, Ryan Romero-Encinas, 20, turned himself in at his Tucson apartment on September 25 and was charged with first-degree murder. Neither the victim nor the suspect had any affiliation with the University of Arizona, raising questions about campus access and security at a university that had already experienced a fatal on-campus shooting in October 2022.
Analysis

Key Findings

The first UAlert was sent 34 minutes after UAPD received notification of the shooting, highlighting ongoing debates about alert speed
Neither the victim nor the suspect was affiliated with the University of Arizona, underscoring campus access concerns
This was the second fatal shooting on the UA campus in two years, following the October 2022 killing of Professor Thomas Meixner
Outcome
The victim, Minhaj Jamshidi, was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect, Ryan Romero-Encinas, 20, turned himself in on September 25 and was charged with first-degree murder. Neither the victim nor the suspect was affiliated with the University of Arizona.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    On-campus shooting leaves man dead; investigation continues (The Daily Wildcat)
    wildcat.arizona.edu
  2. News
    Shooting on University of Arizona campus leaves one college student dead (AZPM)
    news.azpm.org
  3. News
    Suspect arrested after Tucson junior college student killed on University of Arizona campus (Fox 10)
    fox10phoenix.com
  4. News
    Video shows fight before fatal shooting on University of Arizona campus (KOLD)
    kold.com
  5. Official
    Park Ave. and Fourth St. Criminal Homicide Crime Alert (UAPD)
    uapd.arizona.edu
Tags
shootingfatalhomicideresidence-hallnon-affiliated-victimarizonapublic-universitynight-incident
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion