{ "id": "2022-10-05-university-of-arizona-shooting", "slug": "university-of-arizona-shooting-2022-10-05", "institution": { "name": "University of Arizona", "shortName": "UA", "state": "AZ", "type": "public-r1", "alertSystemName": "UAlert", "enrollment": 49000 }, "incident": { "date": "2022-10-05", "type": "shooting", "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification", "resolution": "confirmed-threat", "headline": "Professor fatally shot by an expelled former graduate student banned from campus", "headlinePublic": "Professor fatally shot by an expelled former graduate student banned from campus", "summary": "On October 5, 2022, former graduate student Murad Dervish [fatally shot hydrology professor Dr. Thomas Meixner](https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/police-ex-student-fatally-shoots-professor-in-university-of-arizona-building/article_51d97866-44f4-11ed-8885-674535588761.html) inside the John W. Harshbarger Building on the University of Arizona campus. Dervish had been [expelled and banned from campus](https://abcnews.go.com/US/professor-shot-killed-university-arizona-campus-suspect-custody/story?id=91064661) months earlier following faculty complaints about his behavior after receiving a poor grade.", "outcome": "Professor Thomas Meixner was killed and a building manager was grazed by a bullet. Dervish fled but was arrested by Arizona DPS troopers on a highway near Gila Bend, over 120 miles from campus, approximately three hours later. He was convicted of first-degree murder on May 21, 2024 (along with five additional felony counts including aggravated assault), sentenced to natural life in prison plus consecutive terms (7.5 years for aggravated assault, 3.5 years for burglary, and one year for endangerment) on June 24, 2024. On March 17, 2026, Dervish's attorney argued his appeal in Tucson, claiming the trial judge was biased.", "casualties": { "killed": 1, "injured": 1 } }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestampApprox": "Approximately 2:17 PM MST on October 5, 2022", "channel": "twitter-x", "verbatimText": "Police responded to Harshbarger bldg for a shooting. Stay away from surrounding area. More to follow", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/UofA_Safety/status/1577769945278124032", "sourceDescription": "@UofA_Safety on X (verbatim)", "annotations": [ "Verbatim from the official @UArizonaPolice Twitter account; this was one of the first public notifications about the shooting", "Uses abbreviated 'bldg' consistent with UA Police Twitter style; 'More to follow' signals an active, developing situation", "Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, so MST (UTC-7) was in effect throughout the incident" ], "characterCount": 100 }, { "sequence": 2, "type": "update", "timestampApprox": "Approximately 2:25 PM MST on October 5, 2022", "channel": "twitter-x", "verbatimText": "Stay away from Harshbarger bldg. Male suspect was ID'd but no longer on scene. Police currently looking for him.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/UofA_Safety/status/1577772780300410880", "sourceDescription": "@UofA_Safety on X (verbatim)", "annotations": [ "Corrected incomplete text and wrong status URL to full @UofA_Safety post 1577772780300410880" ], "characterCount": 112 }, { "sequence": 3, "type": "update", "timestampApprox": "Approximately 2:30 PM MST on October 5, 2022", "channel": "twitter-x", "verbatimText": "Cont to stay away from Harshbarger bldg/area. All remaining in-person classes main campus have been cancelled for today.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceDescription": "@UofA_Safety on X (verbatim)", "annotations": [ "Recovered exact @UofA_Safety intermediate; replaces non-matching reconstruction about lockdown" ], "characterCount": 120, "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/UofA_Safety/status/1577781651538583581" }, { "sequence": 4, "type": "all-clear", "timestampApprox": "Approximately 3:30 PM MST on October 5, 2022", "channel": "twitter-x", "verbatimText": "Investigation continues. At this time, no need to remain in place or lockdown. Remain clear from Harshbarger bldg.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/UofA_Safety/status/1577784813536280579", "sourceDescription": "@UofA_Safety on X (verbatim)", "annotations": [ "Corrected truncated text to full @UofA_Safety post 1577784813536280579" ], "characterCount": 114 } ], "context": "On October 5, 2022, 46-year-old Murad Dervish entered the [John W. Harshbarger Building](https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/police-ex-student-fatally-shoots-professor-in-university-of-arizona-building/article_51d97866-44f4-11ed-8885-674535588761.html) on the University of Arizona campus and shot Professor Thomas Meixner, the head of the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, 11 times near his office. A building manager was also grazed by a bullet. Dervish had been a graduate student in the atmospheric sciences program but was [banned from campus in January 2022 and later expelled](https://abcnews.go.com/US/professor-shot-killed-university-arizona-campus-suspect-custody/story?id=91064661) for ongoing issues with professors after receiving a poor grade. A flyer with Dervish's photograph had been circulated to staff with instructions to call 911 if he was seen. Despite these precautions, Dervish entered the building wearing a surgical mask and baseball cap. The campus was locked down for over an hour before the shelter-in-place was lifted. Dervish was [arrested by Arizona DPS troopers](https://www.kold.com/2022/10/06/update-suspect-apprehended-shooting-u-campus/) on a highway near Gila Bend, more than 120 miles from Tucson, approximately three hours after the shooting. A subsequent [investigation by Inside Higher Ed](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2023/02/02/report-warnings-ignored-u-ariz-professor-killed) found that multiple warnings about Dervish had been raised but not adequately acted upon, prompting significant scrutiny of the university's threat assessment procedures. A 205-page [independent review by the PAX Group](https://www.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2023-03/PAX_Group_Report.pdf), commissioned by the university and released in March 2023, found that the university's Threat Assessment Management Team was not functioning effectively at the time of the attack and issued 33 recommendations.", "keyFindings": [ "The shooter had been formally banned from campus and expelled months before the attack, yet was able to gain access", "Staff had been given a flyer with the suspect's photo and instructions to call 911, indicating awareness of the threat", "The campus lockdown was lifted before the suspect was captured, highlighting the challenge of maintaining lockdowns during extended manhunts" ], "sources": [ { "title": "Police: Ex-student fatally shoots professor in University of Arizona building (Arizona Daily Star)", "url": "https://tucson.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/police-ex-student-fatally-shoots-professor-in-university-of-arizona-building/article_51d97866-44f4-11ed-8885-674535588761.html", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Suspect accused of fatally shooting professor was barred from campus (ABC News)", "url": "https://abcnews.go.com/US/professor-shot-killed-university-arizona-campus-suspect-custody/story?id=91064661", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "UPDATE: Suspect apprehended in shooting at U of A campus (KOLD-TV)", "url": "https://www.kold.com/2022/10/06/update-suspect-apprehended-shooting-u-campus/", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Report: Warnings ignored before U of Ariz. professor killed (Inside Higher Ed)", "url": "https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2023/02/02/report-warnings-ignored-u-ariz-professor-killed", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "PAX Group, LLC Review of the University of Arizona's Safety and Security (independent report, March 2023)", "url": "https://www.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2023-03/PAX_Group_Report.pdf", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "Former UArizona grad student found guilty of murder (CBS News)", "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/murad-dervish-former-university-of-arizona-grad-student-guilty-murder-thomas-meixner/", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "UA Office of Public Safety on X: initial shooting alert (status 1577769945278124032)", "url": "https://twitter.com/UArizonaPolice/status/1577769945278124032", "type": "official-social-media" }, { "title": "UA Office of Public Safety on X: suspect fled alert (status 1577784813536280579)", "url": "https://twitter.com/UArizonaPolice/status/1577784813536280579", "type": "official-social-media" }, { "title": "@UofA_Safety X: male suspect fled (status 1577772780300410880)", "url": "https://x.com/UofA_Safety/status/1577772780300410880", "type": "official-social" }, { "title": "@UofA_Safety X: classes cancelled (status 1577781651538583581)", "url": "https://x.com/UofA_Safety/status/1577781651538583581", "type": "official-social" }, { "title": "@UofA_Safety X: no lockdown needed (status 1577784813536280579)", "url": "https://x.com/UofA_Safety/status/1577784813536280579", "type": "official-social" }, { "title": "@UofA_Safety X: ALL CLEAR custody (status 1577817945098670080)", "url": "https://x.com/UofA_Safety/status/1577817945098670080", "type": "official-social" }, { "title": "@UofA_Safety on X (verbatim)", "url": "https://x.com/UofA_Safety/status/1577769945278124032", "type": "official-archive" } ], "confidence": "high", "tags": [ "shooting", "targeted-violence", "professor-killed", "former-student", "arizona", "public-r1", "threat-assessment-failure" ], "dateAdded": "2026-04-04", "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18", "addedBy": "ingestion" }