Suspect Arrested in Tatum Hammer Attack

TATUM — Authorities have arrested a suspect after he reportedly beat an elderly woman and an elderly man working in the yard. He’s been identified as Michael Christopher Ferris, 20, White Oak. Officials said the attack happened shortly before 4:00 Thursday afternoon in the 600 block of East Johnson Street in Tatum. Officials said Ferris reportedly knocked on the victim’s door. When she answered, he allegedly attacked her with a claw hammer. As he ran from the home, he reportedly encountered a man working in the yard and attacked him as well.

According to the Longview News-Journal, both victims, identified by the Panola County Sheriff’s Office as Betty Barker and Buddy Wagstaff, were hospitalized in Longview. Both are listed in stable condition. Barker was the more severely injured of the two. She was struck repeatedly from behind and was left with many bruises and lacerations.

After the assaults, Tatum police said Ferris ran into the woods, beginning a three-hour manhunt. At least two nearby Tatum schools and one child care facility were locked down as authorities searched for Ferris, who police said was in custody by early evening. According to KETK, Ferris faces two counts of attempted murder and two counts of injury to an elderly person. He has been booked into the Panola County Jail, and his bond is set at $4 million.