Summary: After an employee was fired on Thursday from an Oklahoma food plant, he went on a rampage, beheading one woman and stabbing another.
Alton Alexander Nolen, 30, was fired from his job at Vaughan Foods in Moore, Oklahoma on Thursday afternoon. Shortly thereafter, he went on a rampage through the food plant that shocked the nation.
Sergeant Jeremy Lewis of the Moore Police Department said that after Nolen was fired, he “drive to the front of the business, running into a vehicle, exited his vehicle, entered the business, where he encountered the first victim, Colleen Hufford, 54, and began assaulting her with a knife. He did kill Colleen and he did sever her head.”
Nolen continued his bloody assault after beheading Hufford. He stabbed a second woman, 43-year-old Traci Johnson, who fortunately survived the attack. She was saved by Mark Vaughan, the chief operating officer of the company. Vaughan shot and wounded Nolen, halting Nolen’s attack on Johnson. However, Johnson did not escape unharmed: she is hospitalized with “numerous knife wounds” but is in stable condition.
Nolen was shot two times and is also hospitalized. He remains in stable condition.
Lewis added, “This off-duty deputy definitely saved Traci’s life. This was not going to stop if he didn’t stop it. He’s obviously a hero in this situation. It’s very tragic that someone did lose their life, but it could have gotten a lot worse. This guy was definitely not going to stop. He didn’t stop until he was shot.”
The Moore police department has sought assistance from the FBI to investigate Nolen’s background. Nolen had allegedly been trying to convert his co-workers to Islam. A statement from the Moore police department said, “Due to the manner of death and the statement of co-workers and other initial information that investigators have gathered, we requested the assistance of the FBI in conducting a background investigation into Nolen.”
On Friday, law enforcement officials clarified that there was nothing that hinted at the attack being linked to terrorism.
Danielle Katcher, a spokeswoman for Vaughan Foods, said “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the events. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the team member we lost and all those affected.”
The violent attack appeared to be of a random nature. Unfortunately, the victims were in the wrong place at the wrong time as Nolen entered the property. Lewis said, “He wasn’t targeting anyone, wasn’t going specifically after them. It appears they were just in his way as he came in.”
Police officials have not commented on charges Nolen may be facing, nor have they received information on Nolen’s background.