University of Arizona shooting: Professor Thomas Meixner dead, ex-student Murad Dervish arrested

Thomas Meixner, a professor at the University of Arizona was fatally shot inside the campus on Wednesday, October 5, and a suspect, Murad Dervish, has been arrested in connection to the case, according to the university police.

“It’s a tremendously tragic event. We feel so incredibly bad for the professor’s family, friends and colleagues, and our hearts really just go out to them”, said Paula Balafas, the university police chief. The name of the victim was not released initially.

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Balafas also mentioned that the victim (who was later revealed to be Meixner) was a professor associated with the department of hydrology. A member of the department’s staff reportedly called the police before 2 PM on Wednesday and made them aware of the presence of an individual in the department who should not have been there.

The police chief further added that the crime had been committed before law enforcement personnel arrived at the scene, after which the suspect used the main doors to escape. Dervish was later arrested 120 miles away from the university, at the Gila Bend, at around 5:10 PM, when he had stopped at a traffic signal. The victim, on the other hand, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

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NBC News reports that the university administration did not respond or commented on further details regarding the incident. Doug Ducey, the governor of Arizona, has released a statement on Twitter, sharing his concern regarding the incident. In the post, he said, “Arizona is praying for the family and friends of the professor and those affected by today’s tragedy in Tucson”. In a tweet thread, Ducey went on to list a number of contacts regarding help and support during this sensitive time.

Check out his tweet right here:

Although Balafas did admit that Dervish was a former student of the hydrology department, she did not specify details of the relationship between him and Meixner.