An employee at the Tesla factory in Fremont, California, was arrested in the shooting death of a co-worker in the factory parking lot Monday during a dispute, according to NBC Bay Area News.
Suspicious Death at Tesla Factory https://t.co/tdtQFkMhqg
— Fremont Police Department (@FremontPD) December 14, 2021
The suspect is identified as Anthony Solima,29, was arrested at 2315 local time Monday without incident, Fremont police said in a statement.
Police alleged Solima suddenly walked off the job earlier that day, approached his co-worker late afternoon with a non-serialized .223 caliber short-barrel rifle, and shot him to death.
Homicide detectives said the person was pronounced dead at the scene, and .223 rifle casings were recovered nearby — matching rounds used in Solima’s short-barrel rifle.
Multiple news outlets, including Bloomberg, have said Solima walked off the job over a dispute with the now-deceased co-worker but have yet to explain the details about the argument.
The investigation is still ongoing, according to the Fremont Police, adding that Solima is being held without bail. He will be arraigned on Thursday. Police believe there was no one else involved in the shooting.
While questions swirl about what the argument was about and who exactly is the deceased co-worker in relation to Solima, there has been a series of incidents at the Fremont factory of racism, “nightmarish” conditions, and rampant sexual harassment.
Bloomberg noted that more than 31 complaints were filed with California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleging discrimination at Tesla since 2020.
More details should follow about why Solima killed his co-worker and what that argument was about. So much chaos at Musk’s factory while he was nominated “Person of the Year” by Time Magazine this week.
