Police: Son arrested after Oklahoma Labor Commissioner stabbed to death

The scene of Mark Costello&#039;s death.

(Image credit: Twitter.com/NewsOKPhoto)

published 24 August 2015

Authorities say that Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello died Sunday night after being stabbed numerous times, and his son had been arrested on a first-degree murder complaint.

Officers were called to a stabbing report at a Braum's fast food restaurant on the northwest side of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City Police Department Capt. Paco Balderrama said. An argument had started inside but made its way outside of the restaurant, where bystanders helped subdue the attacker until police arrived, The Associated Press reports. Costello was stabbed multiple times in the head and neck area, police said, and died at the hospital.

Balderrama said that Costello's 26-year-old son, Christian Costello, has been arrested on a first-degree murder complaint. Mark Costello was married with five children, and the founder of a telephone software company. The Republican was first elected to labor commissioner in 2010, and easily won reelection in 2014. In a statement, Labor Department Chief of Staff Jim Marshall said "our hearts ache as an agency for this tragic event and our department grieves for his family during this very difficult time."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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