North Texas man held on $10M bond after fatally shooting coworker over long breaks: police
A 51-year-old North Texas man fatally shot his coworker at her desk Thursday, Oct. 17, because he was angry over her long breaks, according to court records.
Lewisville police responded to the 1800 block of Lakeway Drive shortly after 11:30 a.m. after someone called 911 to report an active shooter. Officers responded quickly and detained the shooter at the scene, the department said in a social media post.
The woman who was shot was taken to a local hospital but later died from her injuries, according to police. The victim has been identified as Tamhara Collazo. She and the suspect, Travis Merrill, worked together at Allegiance Trucking.
Merrill is being held in the Denton County Jail on a $10 million bond, according to Denton County jail records. He told detectives he was obsessed with Collazo and became angry because she didn’t pay any attention to him and took “unauthorized long breaks” at work, Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reported.
According to Merrill’s arrest warrant affidavit obtained by WFAA, Collazo had told Merrill she didn’t want him watching her when she took breaks. She reported Merrill’s behavior to human resources, and as a consequence he couldn’t return to work until he’d talked with a counselor over the phone.
When Merrill did return to work, he could tell Collazo was avoiding him, the affidavit states. He also felt his coworkers considered him “a psychopath.”
Merrill said Collazo “caused him pain,” so he wanted her to experience pain, according to the affidavit. He bought guns and practiced with them at home with the intention of shooting Collazo at work in front of their coworkers, police said.
Twice before the shooting Merrill brought his guns to work, the affidavit states. The first time was his day off, and he just stayed in the parking lot. The second time was the day before the shooting, but he decided not to use the weapons because “it didn’t feel like the right time.”
On Oct. 17, Merrill told police he followed Collazo to the parking lot during her lunch break. He sat in his vehicle and prepared his firearms while watching Collazo in her car, according to the affidavit. Then he followed her back inside and “ambushed” her at her cubicle.
According to the affidavit, Merrill shot Collazo at least four times. KDFW-TV reported that two dozen coworkers saw the shooting.
Merrill turned himself in to police when they arrived, according to KDFW. He told detectives the exact dates that Collazo had taken breaks and how long each one lasted.
Allegiance Trucks said in a statement obtained by KDFW that they are supporting the victim’s family and are heartbroken over her death. No one else was injured in the shooting, but the Lewisville office has been closed indefinitely.
“We ask for the community’s support as our company has unfortunately joined the growing national community of workplaces affected by gun violence,” officials said in the statement.
This story was originally published October 22, 2024 at 10:27 AM.
