University of Arizona professor killed on campus Transcript

Speaker 1: (00:00) A tremendously tragic event in our society right now. If somebody is angry enough or focused enough that something like this can happen, unfortunately, Speaker 2: (00:11) We begin with our big story, a deadly shooting on the University of Arizona campus. Speaker 3: (00:16) A professor killed and police say a former student is the one who pulled the trigger. Right now at 10:00, we're getting our first look at the suspected shooter identified as a 46-year-old man now in custody. Speaker 2: (00:27) That shooting happened on the Tucson campus inside the Harshbarger building, which houses a Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. ABC 15's Ashley Paredez is live on campus tonight tracking this investigation. Ashley? Ashley Paredez: (00:45) Well, the crime scene tape is still up. That shooting sending campus into a panic, students wondering what was happening. Some parents hearing the news thousands of miles away through texts from their kids. Now, students and staff in mourning over the death of a professor. Alyssa Johnson: (01:04) Police responded to the Harshbarger building for a shooting, "Stay away from surrounding area." Ashley Paredez: (01:08) U of A freshman, Alyssa Johnson, reading us the text alert she received shortly after a shooting on campus while waiting for her best friend, Dana Castillo, who was still in class. Dana Castillo: (01:18) I was texting her and I realized what was going on and I did hear a thud. So that's when I raised my hand and asked if she could come inside to stay with us. Ashley Paredez: (01:26) They were both in the building next to Harshbarger Scared as the [inaudible 00:01:31] suspected shooter was on the run, so Dana looked to her professor for answers. Dana Castillo: (01:35) We were asking him if there was a possible lock on the door, but we realized that there was only a code outside, so we really couldn't lock the door. I was getting more and more anxious. Ashley Paredez: (01:44) The University of Arizona Police Department telling us they received a call from a staff member around 2:00 PM reporting a former student was in the Harshbarger building and not allowed to be there. Speaker 1: (01:54) From the moment we took the initial call in our dispatch center to the time we got officers on scene, it was just minutes. But in that short period of time, that shooting was able to happen. Ashley Paredez: (02:04) A professor was shot, later dying at the hospital. While witnesses say the suspected shooter took off running. Alyssa Johnson: (02:11) He could have easily gone anywhere. Ashley Paredez: (02:13) About three hours later, that suspect was caught during a traffic stop outside Gila Bend. Troopers identifying him as 46-year-old, Murad Dervish. A possible motive for the shooting is still unclear. Ashley Paredez, ABC 15, Arizona. Speaker 2: (02:28) Thank you, Ashley. And new at 10:00, Governor Doug Ducey reacting to the campus shooting, posting a thread on Twitter saying in part, "Arizona is praying for the family and friends of the professor and those affected by today's tragedy in Tucson." Within the last five minutes, the University of Arizona President identified that professor who was killed as Thomas Meixner from the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.