'I fulfilled my mission': Chilling moment expelled University of Arizona student makes unprovoked comment while alone in police interrogation room hours after 'storming science building and shooting dead professor'

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.

A shocking new video shows Murad Dervish claim that he 'fulfilled my mission' when he allegedly made his way into 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 Dervish appearing confused by the police's very basic statements.

'I am charging you with murder in the first degree,' says an officer.

'Oh, okay,' Dervish responds blankly.

'You look surprised,' the officer states before Dervish responds unintelligibly. 

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.

'Well, at least I fulfilled my mission,' Dervish says, audibly, to him himself while alone in the interrogation room. It's unclear if this will be deemed admissible at trial, but his fate could hinge on that

Thomas Meixner, 52, was head of the UA's Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, was gunned down on campus on October 5, allegedly by a former student

'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.

The complaint signed by a judge in October at Pima County Justice Court said there was reasonable cause to proceed in the case against Dervish. 

In Arizona, charges are not filed until a preliminary hearing takes place, and there was no word on when that would happen.

Campus police said the shooting occurred after a female called 911 asking for police to escort a former student from the Harshbarger Building. 

The suspected gunman was identified as Murad Dervish, 46, who was arrested shorly after the shooting 

Video posted to social media shows the scene outside the building as emergency officials carry a man out to a gurney and into a waiting ambulance

Police say the on-campus shooting happened just after 2pm inside the John W. Harshbarger Building, near East Second Street and North Mountain Avenue 

His 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'

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.'

'Dervish has been the subject of several reports of harassment and threats to staff members working at Harshbarger,' the complaint said.

Meixner was an expert on desert water issues. Faculty and former students described as a kind and brilliant colleague.

'This incident is a deep shock to our community, and it is a tragedy,' Robbins said in a statement late Wednesday.

Meixner earned a doctorate in hydrology and water resources from the university in 1999 and joined the faculty in 2005 before becoming the department head in 2019. He left behind a wife and two sons.