'Obsessed' man allegedly murdered coworker because she took long breaks and ignored him

DENTON COUNTY, Texas (WKRC) - A man allegedly shot a coworker he was "obsessed" with five times because she took "unauthorized long breaks" and didn't pay "any attention to him," according to authorities.

The Lewisville Police Department responded to multiple calls of an "active shooter" at the Allegiance Trucking building in Denton County at around 11:34 a.m. on Thursday.

Upon arrival, police quickly found the suspected shooter inside the building "with his hands already raised in the air." Police said they arrested 51-year-old Travis Lee Merrill without incident, and the suspect allegedly pointed officers toward his firearms and said "yes" when asked if he was the shooter.

Police found Tamhara Collazo beneath her desk with two gunshot wounds in her arm, two in her chest, and one in her leg. She was rushed to the hospital, but succumbed to her injuries soon after.

Police said Merrill explained that Collazo was the intended target, and that he had become "obsessed" with the woman.

"He was obsessed with Collazo and began getting 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," according to an affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.

Collazo noticed Merrill's strange behavior and reported it to management, who suspended Merrill and forced him to go to counseling before he could return. Merrill obliged and eventually returned to the office, but told police he thought "everyone must think he's a psychopath."

Merrill said Collazo started avoiding him after he returned, which only made him angrier, according to police.

He also said it was at that point he started purchasing firearms, police said.

Merrill said 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 authorities. The man allegedly told police he had planned out the shooting, down to even practicing how he would move his hands and arms at home. He said he brought a firearm to work on two prior occasions with the intent of killing Collazo, but said it "didn't feel like the right time."

On the day of the shooting, Merrill told police he followed Collazo when she took her break and went to his car to "ready his guns," authorities said. Merrill claimed he then followed Collazo back to her desk and began shooting.

Allegiance Trucking released a statement to KDFW about the shooting:

"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."

Merrill is charged with one count of first-degree murder and is being held on a $10 million bond.