- Thomas Meixner, 52, was shot four times on October 5
- The suspected gunman was identified days later as former student Murad Dervish, 46, who faces first-degree murder charges
A shocking new video shows the man accused of storming a University of Arizona science building and shooting dead a professor claim that he ‘fulfilled his mission’ while sitting alone in a police interrogation room.
Thomas Meixner, 52, who headed the school´s Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, was shot four times on October 5.
He was pronounced dead in the emergency room shortly after.
The suspected gunman was identified days later as former student Murad Dervish, 46, according to UA Police Chief Paula Balafas. He’s now facing trial on charges of first degree murder and aggravated assault.
Authorities have released surveillance video inside the halls of the building when shots rang out and parts of police’s interrogation with Dervish – but it’s what he says when the police left the room that could prove his guilt.
‘Well, at least I fulfilled my mission,’ Dervish says, audibly, to himself while alone in the interrogation room. It’s unclear if this will be deemed admissible at trial.
He eventually claims that he doesn’t want to say anything to the police without an attorney but when confronted again by the police, he starts to mock them.
‘We have quite a bit of evidence and I think you know what that evidence is,’ the officer states.
‘Well it’s a shame we can’t talk, we seem like we have a lot in common,’ Dervish sarcastically replies, a smirk visible even in the blurry surveillance video.
The officer then says that he wants to hear Dervish’s side of the story.
‘I’m sure you would like to hear it. You’ll hear my story in court,’ he snaps back.
Dervish was not read his Miranda rights by the police, according to CBS 5, which means the testimony may well be allowed to prove pre-meditation.
The professor’s identity was first confirmed by the Tucson Sentinel and tributes have since poured in for the educator, with one person calling his death a ‘crushing loss to the water community’ and another declaring it a ‘sad day for science.’
According to a complaint, a second person, whose name was blacked out, was treated at the scene after being struck by a bullet fragment.
Officers were on their way when they received reports that a man had shot someone then fled.
Campus alerts instructed people to avoid the area, which was under lockdown.
Classes, activities and other campus events were canceled for the rest of the day.
State troopers arrested Dervish a few hours later about 120 miles (190 kilometers) northwest of the Tucson campus.
The complaint said officials found a 9mm handgun in the vehicle, along with ammunition consistent with the 11 casings found at the shooting scene.
The relationship between Dervish and Meixner remains unclear, but the interim complaint said a flyer with a photograph of Dervish, a former graduate student, had been circulated to university staff in February with instructions to call 911 if he ever entered the building.
It also said he was ‘expelled’ and ‘barred from being on University of Arizona property.’
