ENTERPRISE, Fla. – An Enterprise man was arrested Tuesday evening after he swung a hatchet and fired a pistol at his landlord, threatening to kill him, deputies said.
47-year-old Fredie Vale, who rented a barn apartment on Enterprise Osteen Road, pulled up in his vehicle to his 77-year-old landlord Tuesday shortly before 6 p.m., Volusia deputies said.
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According to reports, Vale was carrying a hatchet, which he handed to the landlord before grabbing it back and using it to threaten the landlord.
Deputies said the landlord — who was also Vale’s boss — fell onto the ground, at which point Vale allegedly jumped on top of him and tried to strike him with the hatchet. Deputies added the landlord was able to dodge and block Vale’s attacks.
Reports show Vale got off the man before walking back to his apartment and returning with a pistol, which he used to shoot the man’s cheek.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office said the landlord went back into his own home and alerted his wife. The couple contacted the sheriff’s office as Vale drove off, deputies said.
Investigators said they found Vale approximately three hours later at a Wal-Mart in Deltona, standing beside his vehicle. Deputies said they were then able to arrest Vale.
The sheriff’s office said the landlord was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, which included a gunshot wound to the face and a laceration to his thigh.
Detectives said the landlord reported that he had a “good relationship” with Vale, whom he’d known for a few years. He and his wife told detectives they had allowed Vale to move into the apartment because Vale had been “down on his luck.”
Vale faces charges for attempted first-degree murder with a firearm. He’s currently being held without bail.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office provided audio of the 911 call, which can be listened to below.