A beheading in Oklahoma

[Earthnut]

Terrible news to report from my home state ~

Yahoo News ~ A beheading in Oklahoma: Was it terrorism or workplace violence?

In the aftermath of tragedy, the residents of Moore don't want to be drawn into a politically charged debate.

Just after 4 p.m. on Sept. 25, Colleen Hufford, a 54-year-old grandmother and worker at Vaughan Foods in Moore, Okla., was standing in the doorway of the front office in the food processing facility's main building when Alton Nolen, a co-worker who had just been suspended over an argument with another colleague, violently grabbed her from behind.

As horrified employees watched, Nolen, a 30-year-old production line worker with a criminal history, savagely sawed at Hufford's throat with a large kitchen knife he had gone home to retrieve, severing her head.

Nolen then went after Traci Johnson, a 43-year-old co-worker, viciously slashing her face and her throat in an attempt to decapitate her, too. But his bloody rampage came to an abrupt end when he was shot and wounded by the company's top executive, who also happens to be a reserve deputy sheriff. Johnson, while severely wounded, survived.

Nolen, who was charged with first-degree murder last week and is likely to face the death penalty, "openly admitted to beheading" Hufford and trying to do the same to Johnson, according to a court affidavit. Authorities said he told investigators he had felt "oppressed" at work and was angry with Johnson, who had filed the complaint that led to his suspension. Johnson, who is white, and Nolen, who is African-American, had gotten into an argument about race, according to law enforcement officials.

Click this link for the rest of the story ~

https://news.yahoo.com/oklahoma-beheading--terrorism-or-workplace-violence-184638839.html

~~~ (My grandson lives in Moore.) ~~~

CNN ~ Call Oklahoma beheading what it is: Terrorism

https://www.cnn.com/2014/09/30/opinion/robbins-oklahoma-nolen/

[Libby]

That is absolutely horrifying.

I don't think it's reasonable to call it a terrorist attack, though. Terrorism is usually about politics or extreme religiosity. Beheading is an extreme desecration of a human body, which is why ISIS use that, for maximum effect. Maybe that's why Nolen chose that method. I wonder if there's a racist or misogynistic aspect to this case.

I feel so very sorry for Colleen Hufford's family and friends. Having to cope with losing a loved one is very difficult, but to lose a loved one this way - I don't really know how anyone can cope with that.

I also feel very sorry for Traci Johnson, and her family and friends. Yes, she survived, but the trauma of how she barely escaped being another victim is something that will haunt her for the rest of her life.

I hope all the other employees will get support and counselling. No-one in that place is ever going to be able to forget that day.

[Earthnut]

No they will never forget that day, nor will they ever be the same. Every person will carry this life-long nightmare, but each in their own way.

Yes, it is horrifying, and I hate to say this, but I don't believe it will be the last time we hear of such things. The news alone is horrifying enough for me because it was here in the state I live in.