[UPDATED with OC Public Defender Getting Dekraai Case:] 6 Women and 2 Men, OC Homicides Nos. 45-52: Massacred at Beauty Salon


UPDATE, OCT. 24, 3:05 P.M.: Orange County Superior Court Judge Erick L. Larsh
this afternoon assigned the defense of Scott Evans Dekraai to the Orange County Public Defender's office. The lead attorney (at taxpayers' dime) will now be senior Deputy Public Defender Scott Sanders. Dekraai's original defense attorney, Robert
Curtis
, told Larsh he specializes in family law, having represented the accused in previous divorce and custody proceedings. Curtis, of Jarvis & Krieger of Long Beach, added that Dekraai cannot afford a private law firm for an expensive death-penalty trial.

See the reaction to this development from the husband of one murder victim after the jump . . .

]

Telling television news reporters gathered outside the courtroom that he was not surprised “that
someone does not want to stand up there and defend this coward,” the late Christie Wilson's husband Paul Wilson observed, “What we do need to remember and what is news today is that over the
past week we have had to say goodbye to eight very loving people who
were mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. That should
be the news, not what happened here.”


UPDATE, OCT. 24, 12:37 P.M.: Seal Beach hair salon massacre suspect Scott Evans Dekraai has not even had his full court arraignment yet and his defense attorneys already want off the case.

The Jarvis & Krieger firm in Long Beach will ask Judge Erick L. Larsh
to find another defenders for the accused worst mass killer in Orange
County history at an Orange County Superior Court hearing this
afternoon.

The reason for the request is expected to be revealed at that hearing.

Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons tells Fox 11 News
he has not been told why Jarvis & Krieger wants off the case, but
he speculates it could be because the firm cannot afford to conduct a
death-penalty trial. If a defendant is found guilty in such a trial, a
second phase to determine if he or she deserves the ultimate penalty
then begins, and it is often as long and expensive in man hours as the
guilty phase.

At Dekraai's Oct. 14 arraignment hearing, which at the request of defense attorney Robert
Curtis
was continued to Nov. 29 so he would have more time to prepare, the lawyer asked Judge Erick L. Larsh to
order jail officials to give his client a prescribed anti-psychotic
medicine and access to a “spinal cord stimulator” he has needed since his
2007 boat accident. Larsh instead ordered a medical evaluation of Dekraai to see what medicine
he might need, leaving it up to the Orange County Sheriff's Department
jailers to decide what was appropriate.

Some, including District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, believe the anti-psychotic medicine request maybe part of the defense laying the foundation for an insanity plea.

Related:


UPDATE, OCT. 14, 3:14 P.M.: On Fridays, we like to post the ugliest police mugshot of the week. Seal Beach mass murder suspect Scott Evans Dekraai has
made it real easy. Look at that fucker, laughing into the camera, after
[yes, allegedly] taking his 8-year-old son's mother away from him,
ensuring that boy will forever live with the stigma of what his father
has done [yes, allegedly] and heading for a possible place on
California's Death Row. Ugly, ugly, ugly.

Orange County, we have found our Halloween monster.

Was he drunk or under the influence of illegal or prescription meds while he apparently carried out the deadliest shooting in OC history? Nope, says the district attorney, he was clean. His victims and would-be victims cowered in fear, played dead and tried to hide as the gunman methodically walked through the salon and fired his weapons, even stopping once to reload.

“Pop-pop-pop!”

Dekraai's arraignment this afternoon was continued to 8:30 a.m. Nov. 29 in Santa Ana. He entered no plea. His attorney Robert Curtis said the jail where he is being held without bail has denied him his anti-psychotic medications Trazadome and Topamax. Judge Erick L. Larsh ordered a medical review to determine what medications Dekraai needs.

Relatives of victims and others at the Santa Ana courtroom yelled “coward” and “I hate you” at Dekraai before and after the proceedings. Curtis indicated he will file a motion seeking a change of venue.

The alleged killer's son is said to be safe with family members. A fund has been set up for victims' families. Visit www.salonmeritagefund.org.

The Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) has cleaned up its
earlier statement published in full in the previous update to reflect the correct spelling
of Dekraai's middle name, the correct date for the crime (it was transposed in a statement from acting Seal Beach Police Chief Tim Olson), and the fact that murder victim Michele Fast
was a salon client, not an employee. Hopefully, I've caught all such
errors throughout this getting-longer post; if you catch any I missed tell me in
the comments or email me at mc****@oc******.com.


UPDATE, OCT. 14, 11:52 A.M.: Standing alongside Seal Beach's acting Police Chief Tim Olson, Orange County District Attorney Tony
Rackauckas began this morning's emotional press conference in his Santa Ana
office by saying, “Oct. 12, 2011, is a day that should never have
been visited on the peaceful community of Seal Beach, California. The
people of our community were made victims of a bloody massacre by a
methodical and merciless killer.” He would go on to disclose he will seek the death penalty for Scott Evans Dekraai.

Rackauckas called the violence “senseless”
and accused Dekraai of forever changing the lives of the victims'
families. “They will forever be left with a missing place in their
hearts,” he said, “and a missing chair at their Thanksgiving
tables.”


The DA then announced he was filing
eight felony counts of special circumstances murder and one count of
attempted murder against Dekraai, who is being held without bail at
Orange County Jail and is expected to be arraigned this afternoon.

Saying his office is still
investigating, Rackauckas said he believes that the evidence will ultimately
show Dekraai just after 1:20 p.m. Wednesday walked into Salon
Meritage “prepared to commit murder.” He was packing three
firearms–which Olson later identified as a Springfield 9mm, a Smith
& Wesson .44 Magnum, and and H&K .45-caliber handgun–when he
walked through the salon “shooting anyone close enough to hit,”
Rackauckas said.

“He stopped to reload during his
spree,” the DA added.

He accused Dekraai of not being
satisfied with killing his intended target, his ex-wife Michelle
Fournier
, spending two minutes “executing” people in the salon by
shooting them in the heads and chests. Rackauckas added the killer was not done, shooting Dave Caouette sitting in his SUV in
the parking lot for reasons unknown.

Rackauckas said the motive was
“revenge.”

“Clearly, this two-minute murder spree
could not have been about loving his son,” Rackuckas said. “Eight
irreplaceable lives were callously snuffed out like collateral
damage. We will not forget any one of these people. Their lives
mattered. We will seek justice to the best of our ability.”

He then ran down each victim's name and
age. The DA had trouble keeping his composure as he talked about
Dekraai and Fournier's 8-year-old son (originally reported as age 7).
At the time of the senseless shooting, “the son he professed to
love was sitting in the principal's office . . . waiting for his mom
or dad to pick him up,” Rackauckas said, choking up. “That
little boy is a victim. . . . Now his mother has been murdered, and
he has to grow up knowing his dad is a mass murderer. So what kind of
sick and twisted fatherly love might that be.”

The DA then explained his usual method
of convening a committee in special-circumstances murder cases so
that he and veteran prosecutors can decide appropriate punishment, up
to and including the death penalty.

“Some cases are so depraved, so
callous and so malignant that that there's only one punishment that
might fit the crime,” Rackauckas said in explainging why there is
no need to convene a panel in this case. “I will of course
seek the death penalty.”

Olson, who frequently referred to
Dekraai as a “coward,” disclosed his department had contact with
the suspect over the past two months, including an alleged violation
of his visitation agreement.

Taking questions from the reporters,
Rackauckas also cleared up reports about whether Fournier had
recently taken out a restraining order against Dekraai, saying his
office has seen no such information. There was an attempt to take out
such an order in 2007, the DA said, but the process was not
completed.

The OCDA statement on the charges follows:

October 14, 2011

Case # 11CF2781

DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO SEEK DEATH PENALTY AGAINST SEAL BEACH SALON SHOOTER FOR LARGEST MASS MURDER IN ORANGE COUNTY HISTORY


SANTA ANA – The Orange County District Attorney announced today that he
will seek the death penalty against a man charged with committing the
largest mass-murder in Orange County history. The Seal Beach Police
Department (SBPD) investigated this case.


Scott Evans Dekraai, 41, Huntington Beach, is charged with eight felony
counts of special circumstances murder for committing multiple murders
and one felony count of attempted murder. He is being held without bail
and is scheduled to be arraigned today, Friday, Oct. 14, 2011, at 1:30
p.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.


“There are some crimes that are so depraved, so callous, so malignant,
that there is only one punishment that will fit the crime. When a
person, in a case such as this, goes on a rampage and kills innocent
people in an indiscriminate bloody massacre, I will seek the death
penalty,” said Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. “The
circumstances of this case are so terrible and incomprehensible that the
aggravating factors overwhelm any possible mitigation.”


 “The murders that occurred on October 12 are by far the most horrific
tragedy in our city's history. This incident will forever impact the
lives of so many of us, who live, work and visit our great community,”
said Seal Beach Acting Chief of Police Tim Olson. “I am proud of the
swift and effective action of the men and women of the Seal Beach Police
Department as well as the assistance we received from so many of our
law enforcement partners, for which we are grateful.”


Death Penalty Decision


In the majority of special circumstances murder cases, the District
Attorney convenes a special circumstances committee consisting of the
District Attorney, the Senior Assistant and Assistant District Attorney
in charge of the Homicide Unit, and other prosecutors experienced in
capital cases after an indictment or preliminary hearing. The committee
discusses the defendant's record, the nature of the crime, and the
vulnerability of the victim, among other factors.  The committee also
considers mitigating circumstances from the defense attorney.  The final
decision to pursue the death penalty rests on the District Attorney.


In certain extreme cases, such as mass murders, the District Attorney
may decide to seek the death penalty without the necessity of a special
circumstances committee. The aggravating circumstances in these cases
far outweigh any possible mitigating circumstances.


Based on the violent and indiscriminate nature of this crime, the
District Attorney determined that the committee was unnecessary in his
decision to seek the death penalty.


Circumstances of the Crime


On the morning of Oct. 12, 2011, Dekraai is accused of getting into a
verbal argument on the phone with his ex-wife, 48-year-old Michelle
Marie Fournier, over a custody dispute regarding their 8-year-old son.


At approximately 1:20 p.m. on Oct. 12, 2011, Dekraai is accused of
entering Salon Meritage, located on the 500 block of Pacific Coast
Highway in Seal Beach, where his ex-wife worked as a hair stylist. The
defendant is accused of wearing a bullet-proof vest under his clothing
and arming himself with three firearms before walking into the salon
with the intention of murdering his ex-wife and other people who may
have been present. Approximately 15 people were inside at the time.


At 1:21 p.m. Dekraai is accused of walking through the salon and
executing employees and customers at random, as well as Fournier, by
shooting them at close range in the head and chest. The firearms
included a 9 MM Springfield, Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum, and a
Heckler & Koch .45.


He is accused of shooting several of the victims multiple times using
two of the firearms as they lay dying, stopping to reload when his
ammunition ran out. The shooting lasted approximately two minutes.


The other people inside the salon attempted to escape by hiding, locking
themselves in private treatment rooms, or running outside. Dekraai is
accused of shooting eight people inside the salon.


Six of the eight victims inside the salon were pronounced dead at the
scene. The two other victims were transported to Long Beach Memorial
Medical Center in critical condition. One of those victims died that
afternoon at the hospital. The eighth victim remains in critical
condition.


The seven murdered victims from inside the salon include (in
alphabetical order): Victoria Ann Buzzo, 54, Laguna Beach, salon
employee; Laura Lee Elody, 46, Huntington Beach, salon employee; Randy
Lee Fannin, 62, Murrieta, salon owner; Michele Daschbach Fast, 47, Seal
Beach, salon client; Michelle Marie Fournier, 48, Los Alamitos, salon
employee; Lucia Bernice Kondas, 65, Huntington Beach, salon client; and
Christy Lynn Wilson, 47, Lakewood, salon employee.


Victim Harriet Stretz, 73, Los Alamitos, is in critical condition. She
was a salon client having her hair done by her daughter, victim Elody.


After his murderous shooting rampage inside the salon, Dekraai is
accused of walking out of the salon. As he approached his white Toyota
Tundra pick-up truck to flee the scene, the defendant is accused of
observing a dark sport utility vehicle parked nearby with a male seated
in the driver's seat. Dekraai is accused of approaching the victim, who
was alone in his car, and executing him by shooting him in the head
through the closed front passenger side window.


This victim was David Caouette, 64, Seal Beach.


An SBPD officer, who was nearby in the neighborhood, was the first to
arrive at the scene in response to a 911 call from a person in the
restaurant next door to the salon. Witnesses pointed the officer to the
defendant's vehicle as Dekraai attempted to drive away.


SBPD dispatch received information from the 911 caller at 1:25:36 p.m.
that the defendant was driving away from the scene. At 1:26:07 p.m.,
only 30 seconds later, the defendant was stopped by SBPD in an emergency
traffic stop.


Officers from SBPD yelled for the defendant to exit his vehicle with
their guns drawn. Dekraai is accused of getting out of his car, getting
down on his knees, placing his hands behind his head, and was arrested.
 At the time of his arrest, Dekraai is accused of being in possession of
the three firearms and a significant amount of ammunition in his truck.


Dekraai was booked at the Seal Beach City Jail and was later transported to the Orange County Jail.


The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is
encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Randy
Litwin at (714) 347-8492 or SBPD Detective Gary Krogman at (562)
799-4100 ext.1108.


The OCDA and SBPD would like to thank the following law enforcement
agencies for their response to the scene and assistance in the
investigation: Anaheim Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms, and Explosives, California Highway Patrol, Cypress Police
Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Huntington Beach Fire
Department, Huntington Beach Police Department, La Palma Police
Department, Long Beach Police Department, Los Alamitos Police
Department, OCDA Bureau of Investigation, Orange County Fire Authority,
Orange County Sheriff's Department, and Westminster Police Department..

UPDATE, OCT. 14, 11:17 A.M.: An emotional District Attorney Tony Rackauckas,
breaking down several times at the press conference podium in his Santa
Ana office, just announced he will seek the death penalty for Scott Evans Dekraai, the alleged deadliest killer in Orange County history.

Noting
that he normally convenes a committee before making such call,
Rackauckas said “of course I will seek the death penalty” due to the
“terrible” and “incomprehensible” crime.
[
UPDATE, OCT. 13, 9:18 A.M.: The Seal Beach Police Department has confirmed all the names and ages of victims killed or injured in Wednesday's mass killing at Salon Meritage. What follows are the names, ages, hometowns and reasons the people were in the shop at the time. There are some discrepancies between the spellings of names and hometowns provided by police and others, which will be noted along the way.


Randy Lee Fannin, 62, the owner of Salon Meritage. His wife Sandy Fannin was at the shop at the time of the tragedy, but she was not shot. They split time between homes in Murrieta and Laguna Beach. The station where he specialized in Brazilian blowouts was near the entrance.


Michelle Marie Fournier, 48, of Garden Grove, was the presumed targeted of her ex-husband Scott Evans Dekraai, who is being held for the worst mass shooting in Orange County history. Fournier was a stylist at the salon. She leaves two grown children from her marriage to her first husband, Steve Huff, and a 7-year-old boy who was the center of her custody battle with Dekraai.


Michele Daschbach Fast, 47, of Seal Beach, was a client of the salon and known in the community for being the wife of the team manager of the Beach Futbol Club Girls 95 White Team, Patrick Fast, and mother of one of the players. She leaves behind three children.


Laura Lee Webb, 46, of Huntington Beach, was identified with the last name Elody by police, but she'd recently married and changed it to Webb. The salon stylist was doing her mother's hair at the time of the shooting. Her mother, Harriet “Hattie” Stretz, 73, of Los Alamitos, was the only shooting victim to survive. She remains in critical condition at Long Beach Memorial Hospital but is said to be improving.


David Caouette, 64, of Seal Beach, is the name provided by police but other spell his last name “Caoulette.”  by some. He was shot while sitting in his Land Rover Discovery outside the salon and later died at Long Beach Memorial. Married and the father of three grown children, he left his salesman job at Land Rover Mission Viejo years ago but was still tight with people there. He's being fondly remembered by his fellow Southern California Land Rover Club members also. 


Christy Lynn Wilson, 47, was a nail specialist at the salon. The married mother of three was close with Fournier. In fact, she testified at Tuesday's custody hearing on her friend's behalf, and some have speculated that Dekraai had also targeted her.


Victoria Buzzo, 54, of Seal Beach, worked at the salon. She leaves behind a husband and two sons. Her father had recently passed away, making this especially difficult on her mother.


Lucia Bernice Kondas, 65, of Huntington Beach. She was a salon client killed during the shooting.

If you knew any of the victims and would like to add remembrances or other details, email mc****@oc******.com.


UPDATE, OCT. 13, 4:22 P.M.: Based on information from friends, family members and colleagues, the Orange County Register is reporting the same names we've carried as victims of the senseless Seal Beach murders plus one more who was inside Salon Meritage on PCH: Victoria Buzzo. The name of only one more murder victim has yet to be revealed.

Authorities have not confirmed any names that have been reported, asking the media to await tomorrow morning's press conference at the district attorney's office.

But some sharing these names are openly critical of that stance, saying friends and community members need to be informed who was killed so the mourning process can begin and tight-knit Seal Beach can begin to heal from the worst mass shooting in Orange County history.

In addition to Buzzo, the deceased are Dave Caouette, Michele Fast, Laura Webb, Michelle Fournier (the ex-wife of suspected killer Scott Evan Dekraai), salon owner Randy Fannin and Christy Wilson.

Webb's mother, Hattie
Stretz, is recovering at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.

The Register also picked up something a Long Beach news site reported earlier: that Dekraai's stepfather got a temporary restraining order in 2007
after alleging Dekraai attacked him, leaving him with cuts and
bruises on his face and right arm.

Dekraai's 7-year-old son is said to have witnessed
the attack. Fournier claimed in court papers tied to their custody battle for the boy that DeKraai twice called 9-1-1 claiming he was going to commit suicide, once with his son in his arms.


UPDATE, OCT. 13, 3:15 P.M.: Police and prosecutors say they will
not confirm the names of any mass killing victims until tomorrow
morning's press conference, but the Southern California Land Rover Club website is paying memorial tribute to member Dave Caouette.
He is identified as the Land Rover driver who was shot outside Salon
Meritage in Seal Beach Wednesday afternoon and later died at Long Beach
Memorial Medical Center. The vehicle had Oregon plates, but Caouette
apparently had a home in Seal Beach.

“May we all say a
prayer for him!” reads the post that is titled “We Lost a Friend” and is followed by thoughtful comments
from others. “He was one of our team members at Jaguar Land Rover
Mission Viejo and continued to lead the off road events… Many of you
know that Rich, Darrin, Dave and I spent many years introducing and
instructing new owners to our products. “

It is unclear why Caouette was in that parking lot, but there are many restaurants near the salon he could have been visiting.

The
Beach Futbol Club website identifies Michele Fast, who was among those
friends and family earlier claimed was also killed, as the wife of a team manager
Patrick Fast and the mother of their daughter, a player on the team.

“It
is with great sadness that we write to let you know that one of the
victims in the senseless Seal Beach tragedy was Michelle Fast . . .”,
begins the tribute signed by Mauricio Ingrassia, club director, and Chris
Reist
, interim president. “. . . Please keep the Fast
family in your
prayers.”

The clubs plan to turn out for tonight's candlelight vigil at 8 in front of the salon: “Beach FC
players are invited to join the Girls 95 White team in wearing their
gold practice jerseys as a show of solidartiy, love and support for the
Fast family.”

Many media sites claim the daughter of Hattie
Stretz, the 73-year-old shooting victim from Los
Alamitos now recovering at the Long Beach hospital, was murder victim
Laura Webb. Stretz apparently went to the salon to meet with her
daughter.

Others who survived the shooting without getting hit reportedly “played dead” on the salon floor until the gunman fled. 


UPDATE, OCT. 13, 2:35 P.M.: Based on court documents filed in the
divorce and custody case involving suspected mass killer Scott
Dekraai and his ex-wife and one of eight fatal victims Michelle
Fournier (who has also had Dekraai and Huff as last names), the
couple married in 2003 and their union dissolved in 2006.

In 2007, Foss Maritime captain Dekraai suffered an accident aboard his tugboat that crushed his legs and
took a female shipmate's life. This left him permanently disabled and suffering
from post traumatic stress disorder. He underwent several surgeries
and took many medications in unsuccessful attempts to revive his
“dead legs.” Some claim he was never the same after this.

Dekraai was the one who filed for
divorce from Fournier that same year. He claimed that whenever he contacted
her about their son, Dominic, Fournier used nasty language and
threatened to keep his boy from him. Her heavy drinking endangered
Dominic, Dekraai alleged. Recovering in bed from his horrible boat
accident, Fournier would call him several times a days, always beginning
with a tirade of expletives directed toward Dekraai, he claims in the court
documents.

Dr. Ronald T. Silverstein testified
that Fournier was harassing a recovering Dekraai by telephone. The
judge then ordered the couple to refrain from talking with one
another except once a week, by phone, for 10 minutes to discuss
issues involving their son.

But, also during this time, Dekraai was
changing. Many who'd known him for years but lost contact recently
did not recognize the fit, retired and cool-headed Marine they knew
as the bloated and confused man shown being arrested by Seal Beach
police Wednesday.

Fournier filed court documents in May
that claim Dekraai was physically abusive and manic in behavior. He
apparently become enraged in recent weeks over Fournier seeking to
change the custody agreement–for their son's safety.

“He's a lunatic,” Fournier's best
friend Laurie Phillips told KTLA News after the mass killing.
Phillips said when she first heard about the shooting, she
immediately knew Dekraai was involved.

“I just talked to her Tuesday night,”
Phillips said of Fournier. “She was a lot of fun, a great person.
She had two older kids who are amazing.”

That would have been hours after a
brief court hearing over the couple's custody dispute. Phillips
denied Dekraai's earlier allegations that made Fournier out to be an
alcoholic and bad mother were true.

Fournier told friends, co-workers and
salon clients that Dekraai physically threatened her and was out to
get her. There are conflicting reports about whether she took out a
restraining order against him. The Los Angeles Times reports she did
not, other media outlets claim she got one within 24 hours of the attack.

Mindy Dekraai, the suspect's current
wife who was spotted briefly at the couple's Huntington Beach home before quickly darting away, was reportedly a nurse who helped her newlywed husband through the boat
accident. Neighbors have described them as a happy, loving couple and
Dekraai as a doting father.

We may discover at tomorrow's press
conference whether he will face the death penalty. Dominic could thus lose both parents.
[
UPDATE, OCT. 13, 1:38 P.M.: At a just-concluded press conference,
the Seal Beach Police Department did not, as anticipated, release the
names of victims of the mass shooting blamed on Scott Dekraai.

Instead, Capt. Tim Olson,
the acting police chief, said those details and others will be revealed
at another press conference scheduled for  11 a.m. Friday with Orange
County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas at the DA's Santa Ana
office. The OCDA also said it will not be revealing any details or
giving interviews before that press conference.

Olson did reveal that Dekraai opened fire with a handgun, that he was
captured without incident and that he is being held without bail. Olson
thanked other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies for
their assistance, singling out the Long Beach Police Department and its
Chief Jim McDonnell.

But most of the press conference involved Olson and other city officials
expressing their thoughts and prayers are with the families of victims
and vowing that their tight-knight community will get through this.
Police Chaplain Don Shoemaker invited everyone to tonight's vigil we blogged about previously.

The
department's tight-lipped stance is not stopping the presumed names of
victims from getting out. We previously blogged that Salon Meritage
owner Randy Fannin and Dekraai's ex-wife Michelle Fournier, a stylist at
the shop, were among those killed.

Based on other media reports and the cards and photos left at a
makeshift memorial outside the salon, other named victims who were
killed include Michelle Fast, Laura Webb and Christy Wilson.

There are reports that among the dead was the daughter of 73-year-old Hattie Stretz, the Seal Beach woman who survived the shooting and is said to be improving at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. It is unclear at this report whether the daughter is among those named above.

UPDATE, OCT. 13, 11:29 A.M.: CNN reports that among the dead was suspected gunman Scott Dekraai's former wife, Michelle Fournier.

Community
members are invited to a candlelight vigil from 8-11 tonight at Salon
Meritage, 500 Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 100, Seal Beach, where a
makeshift memorial has been set up by mourners. More details are on the vigil's Facebook page.

Many people are already leaving condolences on the salon's Facebook page. “90 minute facial, ocean breezes, true bliss!” is how the salon had described itself.

UPDATE, OCT. 13, 9:17 A.M.: The Seal Beach Police Department (SBPD) confirmed late last night that tugboat captain Scott Dekraai
of Huntington Beach has been arrested on suspicion of multiple murder
in the worst mass shooting in Orange County history. The thrice married
41-year-old was in body armor and loaded to the hilt with weapons and
ammo on his body and in his vehicle when he walked into a bustling Salon
Meritage in the sleepy beach town and started firing around 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, police say. Eight people are dead and one is clinging to life.

Six of the deceased were women and two were men, according to police. Clients and family members have identified one dead victim as the salon's male owner, Randy Fannin. The women who were killed were all inside the salon at the time of the shooting. The other male victim was sitting in his Land Rover outside the salon when the fleeing gunman shot him. That victim was rushed to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, where he and another female victim later died. Another female, identified as 73-year-old Hattie Stretz of Seal Beach, is listed in critical condition there.

Dekraai was apparently involved in a bitter divorce and custody battle since 2007 with his former wife, Michelle Fournier, a stylist at the salon. It has not been confirmed whether she was among the victims. They had a routine custody hearing in an Orange County courthouse on Tuesday. Dekraai was apparently seeking full custody of their 7-year-old.

Witnesses say he walked into the salon with a limp, which was the result of a work-related leg injury. He was honorably
discharged from the military

The Melody Lane home in Surf City where Dekraai resides with his third wife, Mindy, has been besieged by television news vans. Neighbors have described him as a doting father often seen playing outdoors with his son. He moved in about two years ago.

Huntington Beach is a large city that has seen its share of media circuses. Seal Beach is not. Needless to say, the police department has been overwhelmed by the media attention. There had only been four homicides in the past 10 years there, the last one in 2010.

A police spokesman says the county coroner has notified all the next of kin of the deceased and that the department will start releasing names after consultation with the Orange County District Attorney's office today.


UPDATE, OCT. 12, 6:07 P.M.: The shooter has been identified as Scott Dekraai of Huntington Beach.

He allegedly targeted his ex-wife
Michelle, the mother of their 7-year-old.

He reportedly works in the sportsfishing industry.

Dekraai, wearing body armor, had weapons strewn across the floorboard of his white truck and
guns strapped to his body, reports Los Alamitos-Seal Beach Patch. He shot two clients sitting in salon chairs first.

The gunman reportedly resided in a single-family home with his son Dominic from a previous marriage and new wife Mindy, KCBS/Channel 2 is reporting. His neighbors were baffled by the crime, saying Dekraai was a “well-mannered” man who often played outdoors with his son.

However, his ex-wife had told co-workers Dekraai was coming after him and she sought a restraining order against him, KCBS reports.

The Seal Beach Police Department refused to confirm the shooter's identification or the types of weapons he used at a just-concluded news conference. Patch got the ID from people inside the salon who survived, and the name Scott Dekraai also was reported by KCBS.

UPDATE, OCT. 12, 5:51 P.M.: Two more victims of today's shooting
spree at Salon Meritage in Seal Beach died at Long Beach Memorial
Medical Center, taking the death toll to eight in what is now the worst
mass killing in Orange County history. The previous worst happened in
1976 when Edward Charles Allaway shot nine people, killing seven, at Cal State Fullerton.

The Orange County Register shares chilling details from a customer who was in a chair at the salon when the middle-age man she knew came into the salon and started popping off shots. His first victim was a mother, and the stylist coloring the witness' hair was also shot.

The shooter has not yet been identified, but Seal Beach police have a press conference scheduled in about 10 minutes.

UPDATE, OCT. 12, 4:43 P.M.: Some Seal Beach neighbors of Salon
Meritage thought the commotion they heard around 1:30 p.m. today was
from the nearby taping of a CSI: Miami episode.

If only that's
what it was: a gunman in body armor shot nine people, killing six
including the salon owner and critically injuring three.


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There are conflicting reports on what prompted the killing spree. The Los Angeles Times reports some saying the shooter had been engaged in a custody dispute involving a salon worker, and Seal Beach police saying they don't yet know if he even knew anyone there. His name has not been released.

He was arrested about a half mile away from the salon after a responding cop saw him leaving there. He is suspected of being a lone gunman. What he used to carry out the killings has not yet been divulged.

One victim was found outside the salon, the rest were sprawled across the inside.

ORIGINAL POST, OCT. 12, 2:24 P.M.: The Orange County Register
is reporting that nine people were injured in a shooting at a business
in the 500 block of Pacific Coast Highway in Seal Beach. The business is
apparently a hair salon.

Stay tuned.

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