Tesla employee charged with ambushing, murdering co-worker with ‘ghost’ assault rifle after argument – By Nate Gartrell (Mercury News) / December 16, 2021
Two argued earlier in the day
OAKLAND — A Bay Area man accused of murdering a co-worker outside of the Tesla factory in Fremont allegedly announced he was quitting that morning, left to retrieve an AR-15-style short-barrel rifle, and returned to the area, where he waited for his victim to get off work, the police investigation found.
In the hours after quitting, 29-year-old Anthony Solima also wrote a note, hinting at what was to come, to a person whose name is redacted from court records. It read, “Tell my daughter I loved her Game (sic) that you played is over I know who you are [redacted] you’re good.”
Authorities allege that Solima gunned down 42-year-old Lee Braiser as Braiser was entering his car in the factory parking lot. Braiser was shot in the back of the head, and police recovered the suspected murder weapon — an AR-15-style rifle with no serial number — inside Solima’s car, according to court records.
A specific motive has not been made public, but authorities said Braiser and Solima had argued on the day of the homicide, and that not long after, Solima announced he was quitting. Others saw him angrily loading a toolbox into his vehicle before leaving the area that morning.
