A 43-year-old California business owner was arrested after an alleged murder plot against one of his own employees was foiled by a gun jam. The incident occurred in Half Moon Bay, a small coastal city just south of San Francisco. 

Authorities say Thomas Azevedo, owner of Azevedo Feed, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly leading one of his employees to a remote area on his Half Moon Bay property and trying to shoot him in the head on Wednesday, January 29. The victim, who has yet to be named, showed up at the Coastside Fire Protection District Station 40 just after 7 p.m. that evening to report the incident, describing an ensuing fight for his life after a near brush with death. Deputies responded immediately, according to a statement from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim, a resident of Pacifica, told the deputies that Azevedo lured him to a remote part of the property to work on a fence that needed repair, but upon arrival, authorities say Azevedo “allegedly brandished a firearm, pointed it at the victim’s head and pulled the trigger, but the gun did not go off.” The sheriff’s office reports that Azevedo allegedly attempted to fire the gun several more times, pulling the trigger repeatedly while the employee tried to wrestle the gun away from him, describing a moment when the firearm, which has yet to be identified, finally discharged a round into the air. Luckily, nobody was injured. 

Deputies arrested Azevedo shortly after without incident, and the business owner was booked into Maguire Correctional Facility, charged with attempted murder. According to authorities, a gun violence restraining order was subsequently issued by a judge and served to Azevedo before deputies seized more than a dozen firearms from Azevedo Feed.

The incident currently remains under investigation; however, prosecutors have yet to file charges against Azevedo because they feel there is insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, according to Nicole Sato, the deputy in charge of the southern municipal branch of the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. 

Without witnesses, a recording or specific injuries, this case could wind up being one person’s word versus another’s, with only the two involved knowing what really took place that night. If it happened as the alleged victim described, it is not clear yet what motivation Azevedo had in wanting to end the life of his employee. Wouldn’t it have just been easier to fire him rather than at him? One way or another, there’s definitely more to this story.