According to reports, a Texas man was suspected of murdering his coworker after growing preoccupied with the amount of time she spent on breaks and furious that she was not paying him enough attention.
Travis Merrill, 51, was arrested on Thursday in Lewisville, on the outskirts of Dallas, and charged with fatally shooting Tamhara Collazo at her desk inside the trucking firm where they both worked.
Police were rushed to the workplace at 11.30 a.m. after reports of an active shooter, only to discover Merrill on his knees with his hands in the air and a pair of revolvers in his jacket on the floor.
Under questioning by detectives, Merrill allegedly admitted to a mounting obsession with his younger colleague that resulted in a deliberate shooting.
According to arrest documents obtained by KDFW, Merrill became “obsessed with Collazo and began getting ever-increasingly angry [at] her taking what he considered to be unauthorized long breaks during work hours, as well as not paying any attention to him.”
Merrill allegedly stalked Collazo for several months, following her during her breaks to the point where he could rattle off a thorough list of specific dates and break lengths when authorities questioned him.
Collazo apparently confronted Merrill about his actions and reported him to HR, resulting in his suspension until he saw a counselor.
Collazo avoided him when he returned to work, which makes sense. According to the records, Merrill became enraged and began purchasing firearms and practicing with them at home.
“[He felt 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,” according to the records.
Finally, on October 17, Merrill allegedly watched Collazo during her lunch break, took his pistols from his car, followed her back into the workplace, and “ambushed” her in her cubicle.
Collazo, 37, was an accounts receivable specialist at Allegiance since November 2022, according to public documents and her LinkedIn account.
Collazo’s employer, Allegiance Trucks, told KDFW that it was devastated by the shooting and has shuttered its Lewisville headquarters “indefinitely.”
“We ask for the community’s support, as our company has unfortunately joined the growing national community of workplaces affected by gun violence,” the organization stated.