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Man Beheads Co-Worker in Workplace Dispute

Sept. 26, 2014
One dead, two injured following workplace rampage.

In terms of acts of workplace violence, this has to be one of the most gruesome. A man reportedly beheaded a female co-worker with a knife on Sept. 25 and critically injured another female co-worker before being shot by the company's COO.

Photo: Moore, Okla. Police Department

Police accuse Alton Nolen of beheading 54-year-old Colleen Hufford and critically injuring 43-year-old Traci Johnson at Vaughan Foods in Moore, Okla., before being shot and seriously wounded by the COO, an off-duty reserve sheriff's deputy. Nolen had just been fired.

Police were called at 4:15 p.m. on Sept. 25 and told there was a fight at the facility. When they got there, they found Nolen with a gunshot wound – he is expected to survive – one female victim who was pronounced dead at the scene and one in critical condition.

According to Moore police, Nolen has a fairly substantial criminal history that includes assault and battery on a police officer.

About the Author

Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is the former content director of EHS Today, and is currently the EHSQ content & community lead at Intelex Technologies Inc. She has written about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990.

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