TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — University of Arizona students are speaking out about Sunday night's deadly shooting outside of Arizona-Sonora Residence Hall. A Pima Community College student, identified by the school as Minhaj Jamshidi, was shot and killed on the volleyball courts near Park and Tyndall, according to university police.
Students were instructed to attend classes today after receiving an “all clear” message from UA police. I talked with several students this morning, one even living right next to where the shooting happened, Sophia Goroyan. She says she attended all of her classes today despite feeling tense and uneasy. Goroyan adds that it was a long night of phone calls with family and friends.
“It happened right outside my dorm," Goroyan said. "Like a lot of students heard gunshots.”
Goroyan was on the phone when she said she heard several gunshots.
“When I heard those noises, I didn't think first, ‘Oh, it's a gunshot.’ I just thought like, ‘Oh, it's a weird noise.’ Like something popped or something," Goroyan said.
Goroyan and other students say they would have appreciated receiving UAlerts much faster than they did because the shooting happened in a very popular area. U of A students are not required, but are encouraged to sign up for these texts and emails from emergency management.
“I’ve always seen activity there and it’s never just a clear court," said Goroyan. "It’s always filled with people playing—actively playing volleyball.”
Other students like Sydney Artliff and Cadence Anderson, are calling for more of a visual presence from UA police daily.
“There is a need for more patrol and more UAPD on campus," said Artliff. "I only really see them in events if something has already occurred. I don't ever really see them just patrolling.”
Artliff and Anderson say they weren’t made aware of the “all clear” from UA police until they were already on campus and in class.
“And the actual admin of UA, you know, are just like crickets. Like someone died on campus," Anderson said. "That is an immediate, hey, you know, instead of saying, ‘hey someone got shot and killed last night.’ That’s all we get, that’s all we got last year too.”
As students say they’re anxious to hear more from U of A administration, they’re being directed to Campus Health for mental health resources if they need them.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
