TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Arizona has agreed to pay out a monetary settlement to the family of the professor who was fatally shot on campus in October 2022.
Professor Thomas Meixner, who headed the university's hydrology department, was allegedly shot by a 46-year-old man who had reportedly been expelled and barred from the campus.
University officials allegedly missed several red flags in the months leading up to the shooting and committed a "glaring institutional failure" when it comes to safety on campus, according to an independent report commissioned by the university's faculty.
UArizona President Robert C. Robbins accepted responsibility for the "systemic issues" taking place across the university before the professor's death.
The Tucson-based university announced Tuesday it had recently resolved all legal claims related to Meixner's death, which involves a settlement and involving Meixner's family in the university's implementation of safety improvements.
The university did not disclose how much of a settlement would be paid.
Larry Wulkan, an attorney representing Meixner's family, released the following statement:
"No amount of money can bring Tom back, but the settlement provides the Meixner family with economic security following the tragedy which has upended their lives and given them a sense of relief that the University of Arizona and State of Arizona are taking seriously the need for effective threat assessment and management at the collegiate level."
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