Texas authorities have announced that a man is the suspect. recent murders He was obsessed with his murdered colleague and claimed that her “long vacation” was the main reason for the murder.
Travis Merrill, 51, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of fatally shooting co-worker Tamhara Collazo at her desk. They both worked in the Allegiance Trucking office. In Louisville, It's located about 30 miles north of Dallas.
Police say Merrill opened fire Thursday afternoon after the victim returned from his lunch break. She was taken to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
“When she re-entered after lunch, he followed her into a private room, 'ambushed' her and fired his gun several times,” the witness obtained. FOX 4 Dallas I will explain.
According to court documents, Merrill admitted that he was “obsessed” with the victim and was distracted during his breaks at work. The suspect said he carefully kept track of how many days Merrill took breaks and for how long.
“[Merrill said he] “He became obsessed with Colasso and became increasingly angry that she would take long breaks during work hours that he believed were not allowed and that she would not pay any attention to Collasso,” the document states. is written.
Mr. Colasso noticed Mr. Merrill's problematic behavior and reported it to the company's human resources department. The suspect was ordered to undergo counseling before returning to work.
Merrill also told police that after Collazo made the report, he became enraged because he avoided Merrill at work. He then bought a firearm and even told police he brought it to work several times.
According to FOX 4, Merrill claimed that the victim was “causing him pain and he wanted her to feel pain, so he deliberately planned to shoot her in the workplace in front of everyone.”
Allegiance Trucks released a statement to FOX 4 expressing shock over the incident and said its Louisville office is closed following the shooting.
“We are providing support to the victim's family and our remaining employees, who were thankfully unharmed, and have closed our Louisville office indefinitely. We are also working closely with law enforcement who are investigating. We work together,” Allegiance Trucks said.
“Unfortunately, we join a growing community of workplaces nationwide affected by gun violence, and we ask for your community's support.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Louisville Police Department and Allegiance Trucking for additional information.
