Campus Alert Archive
GCU

Off-Campus Shootout Sends Stray Bullet Into GCU Dorm, Wounds Student Near The Rivers Residence Hall

AZshootingtimely warningmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the evening of September 28, 2022, an off-campus shootout near 36th Avenue and Vermont in Phoenix sent two stray bullets onto the Grand Canyon University campus. One bullet struck student Jay Morales near The Rivers Residence Hall; Morales was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and later underwent successful surgery. A second stray bullet struck a campus dormitory building but did not injure any students. Phoenix Police advised no campus lockdown was necessary.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
1
Institution
Grand Canyon University
For Profit · AZ
~24,000 studentsAlertGCU
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 ALERTPush
Approximate reconstruction586 chars
AlertGCU: An off-campus incident near 37th Ave & Vermont resulted in multiple gunshots. Two stray bullets entered the GCU Campus. One student was struck near The Rivers Residence Halls and has been transported to the hospital with a non-life threatening injury. Another stray bullet struck one of the Residence Halls but did not injure any students. Phoenix Police recommend that the immediate neighborhood and the University Campus are in no current danger. No lockdown is necessary. Please continue to be aware of your surroundings and report any suspicious activity to Campus Safety.

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

Text reconstructed from language directly attributed to Grand Canyon University's official AlertGCU notification as quoted in multiple local news outlets.
The shooting occurred at approximately 6:00 PM MST on September 28, 2022; Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time and remains on MST (UTC-7) year-round.
The incident location near 37th Avenue and Vermont is north of the GCU campus boundary; stray bullets traveled approximately 8 blocks southeast to strike the residence hall area.
GCU was in the process of claiming nonprofit status in 2022 (contested by the Department of Education); it remains classified as for-profit for this period.
INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Verified verbatimGCU Emergency Information website (emergency.gcu.edu), community alert published September 28-29, 2022661 chars
There was an off-campus incident near 36th Avenue and Vermont this evening that involved a dispute that resulted in multiple gunshots. Two stray bullets entered the GCU Campus. One struck a student near The Rivers Residence Hall. That student is at the hospital with a non-life threatening injury and is expected to be OK. The parents of the student have been notified. Another stray bullet struck one of our residence halls but did not injure any students. We are in close contact with City of Phoenix Police, which recommends that the immediate neighborhood and the University Campus is in no current danger and that a lockdown of the campus is not necessary.
Verbatim text from the GCU emergency website community alert, recovered from a Google search result quoting the emergency.gcu.edu page directly.
Note the address given here is '36th Avenue and Vermont' while the reconstructed RAVE push notification uses '37th Ave' -- the official website text (36th) is the authoritative version.
The alert explicitly states that Phoenix Police 'recommends ... a lockdown of the campus is not necessary' -- an unusual explicit negation of lockdown in an official campus alert.
FOLLOW-UPWebsite
Approximate reconstruction306 chars
An update on the incident involving the stray bullet: the injured student had successful surgery and does not expect to experience any long-term residual effects from the injury. His parents have been notified. We thank the campus community for their concern and ask for continued prayers for his recovery.

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

Reconstructed from the official GCU News update published September 29, 2022, announcing the student's successful surgery and expected full recovery.
GCU identified the injured student only as a male student; local media identified him as Jay Morales.
Context

Background

Grand Canyon University, a large Phoenix-based institution operating in a disputed for-profit designation in 2022 (the U.S. Department of Education had denied nonprofit status, though a 2024 federal appeals court later overturned that ruling), maintains a large residential campus in Phoenix's Maryvale neighborhood. On the evening of September 28, 2022, a dispute near 36th-37th Avenues and Vermont, approximately eight blocks from campus, escalated into a shootout. Phoenix Police were called to the scene at approximately 6:00 PM MST after reports of multiple gunshots. Two other individuals -- a man and a teen girl -- were also shot during the off-campus incident, both sustaining non-life-threatening injuries at a nearby hospital. Two stray rounds traveled from the shootout scene to the GCU campus at 29th Avenue and Georgia: one struck student Jay Morales near The Rivers Residence Halls, and the second hit a dorm building without injuring anyone. Morales was driven to the hospital and underwent successful surgery. Phoenix Police advised that no lockdown was necessary. GCU's AlertGCU system issued a timely warning describing the incident and reassuring the campus community that there was no ongoing danger. The case illustrates a persistent vulnerability for urban commuter-heavy campuses abutting lower-income residential neighborhoods: stray gunfire from nearby disputes can reach campus property even when no on-campus threat exists.
Analysis

Key Findings

Stray bullets from an off-campus shootout approximately 8 blocks away reached the GCU residential campus, striking a student near a dormitory complex
Phoenix Police did not recommend a campus lockdown, reflecting that the danger had passed by the time stray bullets reached campus
GCU's AlertGCU notification system issued a timely warning that was widely quoted by local media, illustrating effective crisis communication
The case reflects the vulnerability of large urban for-profit institutions whose campuses adjoin residential neighborhoods with higher rates of violent crime
Outcome
Jay Morales underwent surgery and was expected to make a full recovery with no long-term residual effects. No other students were injured. No campus lockdown was ordered.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Grand Canyon University student hit by stray bullet during shootout; 2 others injured - AZ Family
    azfamily.com
  2. Official
    Update on incident involving stray bullet - GCU News
    news.gcu.edu
  3. News
    Student struck by stray bullet near Grand Canyon University - 12news
    12news.com
  4. News
    GCU student hit by stray bullet after shooting near campus - FOX 10 Phoenix
    fox10phoenix.com
  5. Official
    GCU Community Alert - September 28, 2022 stray bullet incident (emergency.gcu.edu)
    emergency.gcu.edu
Tags
shootingstray-bulletfor-profitresidence-halloff-campus-incidentphoenixarizonagrand-canyon-universityalertgcutimely-warning
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion