University of Arizona shooting: Former student accused of killing professor, police say

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Thursday, October 6, 2022
University of Arizona shooting: Former student accused of killing professor, police say
A professor was shot and killed on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson on Wednesday, campus police said.

TUCSON, Arizona -- A professor was shot and killed on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson on Wednesday, campus police said.

The campus police chief said a male professor in the Department of Hydrology was shot and killed by a former student. The suspect was identified by police as Murad Dervish. The professor has not been identified.

Dervish, 46, was taken into custody following a traffic stop by the state's Department of Public Safety near the town of Gila Bend, University of Arizona Police Chief Paula Balafas said during a news conference.

Police said the suspect used a handgun.

The victim was sent to a local hospital but was pronounced dead by medical staff, Balafas said.

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Police responded to the campus' John W. Harshbarger building "for a shooting," University of Arizona Police said on Twitter shortly after 2 p.m. local time Wednesday.

Police did not issue a lockdown but warned people to stay away from the building and surrounding area.

"Male suspect was ID'd but no longer on scene. Police currently looking for him," University of Arizona Police had said, describing the suspect as being in his mid-30s with short brown hair and wearing a blue baseball cap and carrying a dark backpack.

All remaining classes being held at the school's main campus were canceled Wednesday, police said.

ABC News' Marilyn Heck and Teddy Grant contributed to this report.