TAYLOR COUNTY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Law enforcement are searching for a man accused of opening fire on electric employees who were fixing an outage in Merkel.
Derek Holdridge is a person of interest in the shooting, which took place outside a home on the 600 block of Derstine Road around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Taylor County Sheriff Ricky Bishop told KTAB and KRBC Taylor Electric Co-op employees were on site fixing an outage reported in the area when a male suspect came out of the home and opened fire, first shooting into the air then pointing at the employees and shooting.
No one was hit by the bullets, but electric equipment and wires, including a transformer, was damaged.
Sheriff Bishop says his deputies quickly established a perimeter around the home and tried to make contact after the shooting, but no one inside was answering, so the Abilene Police Department SWAT team was called for backup.
While waiting for SWAT to arrive, Sheriff Bishop says Holdridge’s wife, Amanda Holdridge, came outside and gave them consent to search the home.
Holdridge was not found and is now considered at large. He’s currently a person of interest in the shooting and is wanted for questioning as the Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon investigation continues. Authorities do not believe he is a danger to the public.
Amanda was arrested for Possession of Methamphetamine, and multiple children who were at school were placed into CPS custody.
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