A shocking new video shows the man accused of storming a University of Arizona science building and shooting dead a professor who claims he “completed his mission” while sitting alone in a police interrogation room.
Thomas Meixner, 52, head of the school’s Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, was shot four times on October 5. Soon after, he was pronounced dead in the emergency room.
The suspected shooter was identified days later as former student Murad Dervish, 46, according to UA police chief Paula Balafas. He now faces charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault.
Authorities released surveillance video in the building’s corridors as shots rang out and parts of police questioning with Dervish – but it’s what he says as police exit the room that could prove his guilt.
“Well, at least I accomplished my mission,” Dervish says audibly to himself as he sits alone in the interrogation room. It is unclear whether this will be deemed admissible at trial.
A shocking new video shows Murad Dervish claiming he ‘fulfilled my mission’ when he allegedly entered the science building and opened fire, killing a University of Arizona professor
This undated photo, provided Friday, October 7, 2022, by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, shows Murad Dervish
The interrogation itself shows that Dervish seem confused by the police’s basic statements.
“I’m charging you with first-degree murder,” an officer says.
“Oh, okay,” Dervish replies blankly.
“You look surprised,” the officer says before Dervish responds unintelligibly.
He eventually claims he doesn’t want to say anything to the police without a lawyer, but when confronted by the police again, he starts mocking them.
“We have quite a bit of evidence and I think you know what that evidence is,” says the officer.
“Well, it’s a shame we can’t talk, it seems we have a lot in common,” Dervish replies sarcastically, a smirk visible even in the blurry surveillance video.
The officer then says he wants to hear Dervish’s side of the story.
“Well, at least I’ve accomplished my mission,” Dervish says, audibly, to himself as he sits alone in the interrogation room. It is unclear whether this will be considered admissible at trial, but his fate may depend on it
Thomas Meixner, 52, who was head of the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at UA, was shot on campus Oct. 5, allegedly by a former student
‘I’m sure you’d like to hear it. You’ll hear my story in court,” he snaps back.
Dervish was not read his Miranda rights, according to police CBS5meaning that the testimony may very well be allowed to prove pre-meditation.
The professor’s identity was first confirmed by the Tucson guard and tributes have since poured in for the educator, with one person calling his death a “crushing loss to the aquatic community” and another calling it a “sad day for science.”
According to a complaint, a second person, whose name was blanked out, was treated at the scene after being hit by a bullet fragment.
The complaint signed by a judge in October at the Pima County Court of Appeal said there was reasonable cause for the case against Dervish to continue.
In Arizona, no charges are filed until a preliminary hearing has taken place, and there was no word on when that would happen.
Campus police said the shooting occurred after a woman called 911 and asked police to escort a former student from the Harshbarger Building.
The suspected shooter was identified as Murad Dervish, 46, who was arrested shortly after the shooting
Video posted to social media shows the scene outside the building as emergency workers carry a man onto a stretcher and into a waiting ambulance
Police say the campus shooting happened just after 2 p.m. at the John W. Harshbarger Building, near East Second Street and North Mountain Avenue
His identity was first confirmed by the Tucson Sentinel, and tributes for the educator have been pouring in ever since, with one person calling his death a “crushing loss to the aquatic community.”
Officers were on their way when they received a report that a man had shot someone and then fled.
Campus warnings instructed people to avoid the area, which was on lockdown. Classes, activities and other campus events were canceled for the rest of the day.
State troopers arrested Dervish about 120 miles northwest of the Tucson campus a few hours later.
According to the complaint, officials found a 9mm handgun in the vehicle, along with ammunition matching the 11 shell casings found at the scene of the shooting.
The relationship between Dervish and Meixner remains unclear, but the interim complaint said a flyer with a photo of Dervish, a former graduate student, was distributed to college staff in February with instructions to call 911 if he ever entered the building.
It also said that he had been “evicted” and “not allowed on the grounds of the University of Arizona.”
“Dervish has been the subject of several reports of harassment and threats to members of staff working at Harshbarger,” the indictment said.
Meixner was an expert on desert water issues. Faculty and former students described as a nice and brilliant colleague.
“This incident is a profound shock to our community, and it is a tragedy,” Robbins said in a statement Wednesday.
Meixner received a PhD in hydrology and water resources from the university in 1999 and joined the faculty in 2005 before becoming department head in 2019. He left behind a wife and two sons.