An Oklahoma man who was fired from a food distribution plant beheaded a woman and was about to kill another before he was shot, police told the BBC.
Alton Nolen, 30, was fired Thursday from his job at Vaughan Foods processing plant in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore. Nolen immediately left the building, drove to the business' entrance and crashed into another car, according to the BBC.
He entered the main office and stabbed 54-year-old Colleen Hufford.
"During the attack, Nolen severed the victim's head," Moore Police Sergeant Jeremy Lewis told the BBC.
Nolen then began attacking another female employee, 43-year-old Traci Johnson. He stabbed her multiple times when the company's chief operating officer, Mark Vaughan, shot and wounded Nolen.
"This was not going to stop if he didn't stop it. It could have gotten a lot worse," Lewis told the Associated Press of Vaughan, who also happens to be a reserve sheriff's deputy.
Lewis said on Friday that Johnson and the alleged shooter were in stable condition. But Nolan is apparently unconscious because police said they want to wait until he is awake to arrest him, according to the AP.
The motive for the attack is unclear. The FBI launched an investigation into the suspect's background after co-workers told authorities he tried to convert some of them to Islam, Lewis told the AP. Officials said at this time the victims appear to have been random targets.
It's also not clear why Nolan was fired, but Lewis said the building he was fired in was the human resources office.
Vaughan Foods released a statement saying it was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the attack.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the team member we lost and all those affected," the company said according to KFOR. "We will provide counseling and support for our team members and support each other through this difficult time."
