Alton Nolan, a fired employee, beheaded a woman at Vaughan Foods in Moore, Oklahoma, yesterday.
He was attacking a second woman when an off duty deputy shot Nolan.
It seems that Nolan was a bad guy from jump street. He had multiple previous felony convictions, including assault and battery on a police officer and escape from detention. He was a recent convert to Islam who had been trying to convert people to that faith before the attack.
I first heard about this from a news feed that I have on my phone. At that time, it just said that there was a shooter situation at a food store in Moore.
I was on my way to a meeting — in Moore — when I saw this, so I put it aside and forgot it. This morning, my friend Kathy Shiffer sent me a message about what had actually happened.
I don’t know enough to give an opinion.
Here is the story from Fox News:
FBI officials are reportedly investigating a beheading at an Oklahoma food distribution center after co-workers said the suspect tried to convert them to Islam after his recent conversion.
The alleged suspect, Alton Nolen, 30, was recently fired from Vaughan Foods in Moore prior to Thursday’s attack. Moore Police Sgt. Jeremy Lewis told KFOR that Nolen drove to the front of the business and struck a vehicle before walking inside. He then attacked Colleen Hufford, 54, stabbing her several times before severing her head. He also stabbed another woman at the plant, 43-year-old Traci Johnson.
Lewis said Mark Vaughan, the company’s chief operating officer and a reserve county deputy, shot Nolen as he was stabbing Johnson, who remains hospitalized in stable condition Friday.
“He’s a hero in this situation,” Lewis told the station. “It could have gotten a lot worse.”
Nolen was apparently attacking employees at random, authorities said. The motive for the attack is unclear, but FBI officials are now reportedly probing whether Nolen’s recent conversion to Islam is somehow linked to the crime.
Lewis said he does not yet know what charges will be filed against Nolen, adding that police are waiting until he’s conscious to arrest him. Authorities said he had no prior connection to either woman.
Nolen, according to state corrections records, was convicted in January 2011 of multiple felony drug offenses, assault and battery on a police officer and escape from detention. He was released from prison in March 2013.
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