Oklahoma officials have disclosed that a man attacked his colleagues - decapitating one and stabbing another - after he was dismissed from a food processing plant in Moore, Cleveland County on Friday.
The suspect, who has been identified as Alton Alexander Nolen, is reported to have become angry after he was fired from Vaughan Foods this morning and took out his frustration on his colleagues.
The police say the suspect emerged from the company's human resources office, where he had just received news of the termination of his employment, and pounced on his victims with a knife. Nolen was reportedly shot before he shopped attacking the two victims, who have been identified as Colleen Hufford and Traci Johnson. Reports indicate that Nolen and Johnson have been taken to the hospital for treatment and are in a stable condition. It is unclear if Nolen had any disputes with the 54-years old Hufford, whom he beheaded or Johnson, 43, whom he stabbed repeatedly.
While officials say the suspect is a Muslim, there are no apparent ties between his outburst and other calculated terror attacks by extremists who share the same religion. The police have revealed that his colleagues confessed he had attempted to covert a few of them to his religion recently. Although Nolen has a criminal record, he has never been booked for violence. Meanwhile, local sources say the FBI has taken over the investigation of the case.
Jeremy Lewis, the spokesperson for the local police, has praised the chief operating officer Mark Vaughn, who shot the suspect. According to Lewis, "It could have gotten a lot worse."
Reports indicate that Vaughn is a reserve police officer.
Meanwhile, the management of Vaughan Foods has released a statement to express their shock and sadness about the event that transpired today. The spokesperson for the company Danielle Katcher extended the thoughts and prayers of the company to the family and friends of the deceased.
She said "Our focus is on the safety and well-being of our employees. We will provide counseling and support for our team members and support each other through this difficult time."
Reports indicate that there were more than a hundred workers in the food processing plant when the incident occurred.
