PHOENIX – A former Tucson-based truck driver has been sentenced to nearly three decades in prison for a violent workplace attack in Phoenix that prosecutors say was premeditated.
Zane James Hammond, 34, was sentenced July 31 to 29 years after pleading guilty in November 2024 to attempted first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. The charges stem from a Nov. 1, 2023, incident in which Hammond drove to his former employer’s headquarters with a shotgun and confronted company leadership.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Hammond had resigned from his job following a minor customer dispute. Surveillance and police video released Friday show Hammond entering the building and firing at the company’s president, who managed to avoid injury by flipping his desk and ducking for cover.
While Hammond attempted to reload, the company’s vice president tackled and disarmed him, holding him in a chokehold until officers arrived.
“This was not a moment of rage; it was deliberate,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement. “Thanks to sheer bravery, no one died. Now, he will spend nearly three decades in prison, where he belongs.”
The judge in the case recommended Hammond be placed in a facility that offers both mental health and substance abuse treatment.
