OKLAHOMA CITY — A man fired from an Oklahoma food processing plant beheaded a woman with a knife and was attacking another worker when he was shot and wounded by a company official, police said Friday.
Moore police Sgt. Jeremy Lewis said police are waiting until Alton Nolen, 30, is conscious to arrest him in the attack Thursday. They have asked the FBI to help investigate after co-workers at Vaughan Foods in the south Oklahoma City suburb told authorities that Nolen recently started trying to convert employees to Islam.
Nolen allegedly stabbed Colleen Hufford, 54, severing her head, Lewis said.
“Yes, she was beheaded,” Lewis said before a Friday news conference.
Lewis said Nolen then allegedly stabbed Traci Johnson, 43, several times before Mark Vaughan, a reserve sheriff’s deputy and the company’s chief operating officer, shot him.
“This was not going to stop if he didn’t stop it. It could have gotten a lot worse,” Lewis said.
Lewis said Moore police have asked the FBI to look into the man’s background because of the nature of the attack, which follows videotaped beheadings by Islamic State militants.
In a statement, FBI Special Agent in Charge James E. Finch said the motive for the attack has not been determined but that there is no reason to think there is a threat to anyone else.
Johnson and the suspect were hospitalized and in stable condition Friday, Lewis said. He did not yet know what charges will be filed.
Oklahoma Department of Corrections records indicate Nolen has served time in prison and is on probation for assault and battery on a police officer.
A Vaughan spokeswoman said the company was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the attack.
