John Jefferson
Inset: Travis Merrill (Denton County Jail). Background: Authorities on the scene where Merrill allegedly killed a female co-worker (KDFW).
A 51-year-old man in Texas is accused of killing a female co-worker by ambushing and fatally shooting her in front of their colleagues, allegedly telling detectives he was “obsessed” with her because she took breaks that were too long and refused to pay attention to him. Travis Lee Merrill was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the slaying of Tamhara Collazo, authorities announced.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officers with the Lewisville Police Department were dispatched at about 11:34 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17, to the office building of Allegiance Trucking at 1825 Lakeway Drive in Denton County, Texas, after receiving multiple emergency calls about an “active shooter.” The business shares a parking lot with the police department’s temporary building.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders entered the office building and immediately located Merrill, who was standing “with his hands already raised in the air,” police wrote. Asked if he was the shooter, Merrill allegedly responded “Yes,” pointed out where his firearms were located, and allowed himself to be arrested without incident.
Collazo was located on the floor underneath the desk in her cubicle. She appeared to have suffered two gunshot wounds to her arm, two to her chest, and one to her leg. Emergency medical personnel transported Collazo to Medical City Lewisville hospital where she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead.
Merrill agreed to speak with detectives and again allegedly admitted to shooting Collazo, explaining that he had become fixated with his co-worker.
“He was obsessed with Collazo and began getting every increasingly angry by her taking what he considered to be unauthorized long breaks during work hours as well as not paying any attention to him,” the affidavit states.
Collazo noticed Merrill watching her for months and eventually reported him to management. He was subsequently suspended from the company and required to speak to a counselor before he was permitted to return to work. Upon his return, Merrill told investigators he believed “everyone must think he’s a psychopath.”
Merrill allegedly said Collazo began avoiding him, which only exacerbated his anger. He told police that was when he began purchasing firearms.
Merrill told detectives that Collazo “had caused him pain, and he wanted her to feel pain, so he intentionally planned to shoot her at work with everyone there.”
In preparation for the shooting, Collazo allegedly told police that he practiced his hand motions with the firearms at home. He also confirmed that he went to the office building armed on two occasions, one of which was the day before the shooting, but he allegedly said it “didn’t feel like the right time.”
On the day of the shooting, Merrill allegedly said that he followed Collazo when she left the building on her lunch break and went to her vehicle. That’s when Merrill said he went to his car and “readied his guns.” Merrill then allegedly followed Collazo back to her to her cubicle and “ambushed her” with a barrage of bullets.
Allegiance Trucking released the following statement to Dallas Fox affiliate KDFW:
“The company is providing support to the victim’s family and the rest of our employees who, thankfully, were unharmed, and we have closed our Lewisville office indefinitely. We are also working closely with law enforcement during their ongoing investigation. We ask for the community’s support as our company has unfortunately joined the growing national community of workplaces affected by gun violence.”
Merrill is currently being held in the Denton County Jail on $10 million bond.
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