A security officer was struck nine times in the head with a hatchet and airlifted with life-threatening injuries after a coworker allegedly attacked the officer in the lobby and another colleague outside the building. The attack unfolded at about 4:41 p.m. at the Pratt & Whitney / Homogeneous Metals Inc. plant, and it took a group of fellow employees physically tackling and pinning down the alleged attacker to bring it to an end.
According to syracuse.com, the attack took place at the plant located at 2395 Main St. in the village of Clayville. Investigators say 23-year-old Zachery Stowell, a Poland resident and employee at the facility, entered the building carrying a concealed hatchet before allegedly attacking security officer Moulay Amrani and fellow employee Nicholas Sutton. Amrani was struck nine times in the head with the blade-side of the hatchet, according to the same report, and suffered life-threatening injuries. Mercy Flight airlifted him to Upstate Medical Center.
CNY News reported that the Oneida County 911 Center received calls reporting the attack around the same time Friday afternoon. Investigators say Stowell then turned on Sutton, striking him four times in the head before Sutton managed to grab hold of the hatchet himself. Stowell allegedly then punched Sutton in the head and body while trying to recover the weapon.
Coworkers Step In to Stop the Attack
That's when other employees intervened. The report notes that those employees pulled Stowell off of Sutton and pinned him down until police arrived, preventing further injury. Sutton suffered significant head lacerations and was taken to Wynn Hospital, where he was treated and released.
Investigators say Stowell also attempted to get back inside the plant using stolen swipe cards taken from a security-station cabinet, according to WKTV, but he was unsuccessful. During the arrest, authorities say Stowell resisted and bit a New York State Police trooper on the thigh. CNY Central reported that the trooper was treated at Wynn Hospital and released, though the Rome Sentinel reported that the trooper was hospitalized after being bitten — accounts of the trooper's exact outcome differ among outlets.
Suspect Hospitalized, Then Arraigned
Stowell was taken to Wynn Hospital for evaluation following his arrest and remained under the sheriff's office guard. He was released from the hospital on Sunday, then arraigned and sent to the Oneida County Correctional Facility. Per WKTV, bail was set with terms including $250,000 cash, a $500,000 bond and a $1 million security bond.
News outlets differ on the precise charges filed against Stowell. Syracuse.com reported two counts each of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, while the Rome Sentinel reported the assault charges as second-degree rather than first-degree, along with additional third-degree assault and resisting-arrest charges. Both accounts agree Stowell faces attempted murder and weapons charges tied to the attack.
Amrani's condition as of Monday morning, November 9, was described as critical, according to reporting cited above, though his longer-term outcome has not been reported. The swift response from coworkers who tackled Stowell and held him down is credited with preventing the attack from escalating further before deputies arrived at the scene.
