Ex-student accused of killing University of Arizona professor on campus, police say

A professor of hydrology at the University of Arizona was shot and killed by a 46-year-old former student while on campus, according to a press conference held by University of Arizona Police Department.

Thomas Meixner, 52, was pronounced dead at the hospital after being shot in the John W. Harshbanger building on the University of Arizona Tuscon campus, university Chief of Police Paula Balafas said in a news conference.

The incident occurred on Oct. 5 after the former student entered the John W. Harshbarger building at University of Arizona Tuscon campus, officials said. The ex-student was not allowed to be there.

The suspect was a former student Meixner, according to AZ Central.

“Somebody recognized the student and knew they weren’t allowed to be in the building and called the police immediately,” Balafas said.

As police were on their way to the building, more calls came in about shots being fired and that someone had been shot, Balafas said.

“In that short period of time that shooting was able to happen,” said Balafas in the press conference.

“We got our campus alerts out very quickly, we secured the building very quickly,”

The 46-year-old ex-student used a handgun, Balafas said. He left the scene after the shooting and was taken into custody at a traffic stop about 100 miles away from campus in Gila Bend, Arizona.

The University of Arizona canceled all in-person classes for the rest of the day on the Tucson campus and staff asked students to return to their homes and dorms, according to the University of Arizona Police Department.

Police have not released details on the arrest or possible motives in the shooting.

“It’s definitely a tragedy and just one of those things that sometimes you can’t even predict,” said Balafas in the press conference.

Meixner was a professor and the Department Head of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona, according to the University’s website. He attended the University of Arizona in 1999 when he received his PHD in hydrology.

Hydrology is the study of water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey website. Hydrologiests’ work “may range from planning multimillion dollar interstate water projects to advising homeowners about backyard drainage problems.”

“He was a great man, a deeply faith-filled and devoted husband and father.,” the family said in a statement, reported by KGUN. “He was passionate about Hydrology, and one of the last acts he performed on this earth was to teach a class. He described his work as “making the world better through biogeochemistry,” but to us, he was trying to save the world’s most precious resource.” .

Tucson is about 100 miles north of Phoenix.

This story was originally published October 6, 2022 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Ex-student accused of killing University of Arizona professor on campus, police say."