|
The Seal Beach shooting was a
mass shooting that occurred on October 12, 2011, at the Salon Meritage
hair salon in Seal Beach, California. Eight people inside the salon
and one person in the parking lot were shot, and only one victim
survived. It was the deadliest mass killing in Orange County history.
Shooting
On Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 1:21 p.m. PDT
(20:21 UTC), police responded to reports of shots fired at the Salon
Meritage hair salon at 500 Pacific Coast Highway. The alleged shooter
was armed with three handguns, and reloaded at least once during the
attack, which lasted two minutes. There were about twenty people in
the salon at the time, some managing to escape by running into the
street or hiding in neighboring businesses. Six people were declared
dead at the scene, and three survivors were taken to a hospital where
two of them later died of their wounds. Police later named the weapons
used in the shooting as a 9mm Springfield XD, a .45-caliber Heckler &
Koch HK45, and a Smith & Wesson .44 magnum.
The alleged shooter's former wife, Michelle
Fournier, one of the employees at the salon, was also one of the
victims. The suspect in the shooting, named by police as 41-year-old
Scott Evans Dekraai of Huntington Beach, California, was arrested
without incident after being stopped while driving a white pickup
truck about one half mile (0.8km) from the scene of the crime. Dekraai
was wearing body armor at the time of his arrest.
The incident was the worst shooting spree in Orange
County since the Fullerton massacre in July 1976, in which seven
people died. There had been only one murder in Seal Beach during the
previous four years. A candlelight vigil was held in the evening of
the next day for the victims of the shooting. A fund set up to aid
victims of the shooting raised around $400,000. Sandi Fannin, the
widow of the owner, stated that a remodeled version of the salon would
open with the same name and in the same location during summer 2012.
Victims
The shooting left six women and two men dead, with
a lone woman survivor:
-
Victoria Buzzo, 54, who worked at the salon
-
David Caouette, 64, died after being shot in his
Land Rover Discovery parked outside the salon. Caouette was the
final victim, and was shot through the front windshield and
passenger window of his vehicle. He had been visiting the restaurant
next to the salon.
-
Randy Lee Fannin, 62, the owner of Salon
Meritage; according to eyewitnesses, he was the first person to be
shot. He reportedly said to the gunman: "Please don't do this.
There's another way. Let's go outside and talk."
-
Michelle Daschbach Fast, 47, a customer who was
having her hair styled at the salon
-
Michelle Marie Fournier, 48, who worked as a hair
stylist at the salon and was the ex-wife of shooting suspect Scott
Dekraai
-
Lucia Bernice Kondas, 65, a customer who was
having her hair styled at the salon
-
Laura Webb, 46, worked at the salon and was doing
her mother's hair at the time of the incident; her mother, Hattie
Stretz, 73, was shot and critically injured
-
Christy Lynn Wilson, 47, who worked at the salon
-
Hattie Stretz, 73, was critically injured, but
survived the shooting, and was released from the hospital on October
17. She was a customer having her hair done by her daughter, Laura
Webb, one of the stylists who died in the shooting.
Sandy Fannin, co-owner of the salon and widow of
the slain Randy Fannin, was on the premises at the time of the
shooting but survived unharmed by hiding at the back of the property.
The suspect
Scott Evans Dekraai, 41, divorced his wife Michelle
in 2007 after four years of marriage. Court records showed that he had
been engaged in a bitter custody dispute over his eight-year-old son.
His personality was said to have changed after an accident on board a
tugboat in February 2007, which left him with serious leg injuries.
Following an incident later in 2007 involving his stepfather, a
restraining order was filed against him, barring him from possessing
firearms. The order lasted a year and had expired at the time of the
shooting. Court documents filed in September 2008 diagnosed him with
posttraumatic stress disorder. A court hearing had taken place on
Tuesday, October 11, 2011, the day before the shooting, which
recommended a near-equal custody arrangement.
Prosecution
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas
announced on October 14, 2011, that Dekraai would be charged with
eight counts of murder with special circumstances, and one of
attempted murder. He also indicated that his office would seek the
death penalty. In a news conference following the shooting, Rackauckas
said: "For almost two minutes, Dekraai shot victim after victim,
executing eight people by shooting them in the head and chest. He was
not done. He then walked out of the salon and shot a ninth victim, a
male, who was sitting nearby in a parked Range Rover."
In an affidavit submitted to police, Dekraai said
that he first shot his ex-wife multiple times on entering the salon,
contradicting the view of eyewitnesses that salon owner Randy Fannin
was the first victim. Dekraai said that on the morning of the
shooting, he had argued with his ex-wife over the telephone, causing
him to consider killing her. He also said that David Caouette - an
apparently random victim sitting in his parked car outside the salon -
had been shot because he thought that he was "an off-duty or
undercover police officer".
Dekraai's arraignment took place on November 29,
2011, at which he entered a plea of not guilty. The provisional start
date for the trial has been given as October 15, 2012.
Wikipedia.org
Scott Dekraai pleads not guilty
to Seal Beach salon killings
Family and friends of the eight people who were
shot to death at Salon Meritage in October crowd the courtroom but
remain quiet during the hearing. Scott Dekraai, the suspect in the
killings, does not look at the crowd.
By Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times
January 19, 2012
The man accused in the largest mass murder in
Orange County history pleaded not guilty Wednesday to shooting and
killing eight people at a Seal Beach beauty salon, including his
ex-wife.
Scott Evans Dekraai, wearing a mustard-yellow
jumpsuit, his hands handcuffed in front of him, said nothing during
his brief arraignment before a courtroom crowded with emotional family
and friends of the victims of the Oct. 12 shooting spree at Salon
Meritage.
Dekraai was kept behind a barrier
during the hearing at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana and did
not look at the crowd.
Dozens of family members and friends attended the
hearing. In the hallway before the court was opened, there were hugs
and tears.
Some wore pins with photos of loved ones. Some
carried photos.
Before they could enter the courtroom, an Orange
County sheriff's deputy warned them to have no outbursts, saying he
knew there was much emotion tied to the case.
There was angry shouting at Dekraai's first court
appearance in October, but the crowd was silent and teary-eyed
Wednesday.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for
Dekraai, who was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on eight counts of
murder with special circumstances and one felony count of attempted
murder.
Dekraai pleaded not guilty in November at an
earlier arraignment after the charges were first filed. Prosecutors
have since opted to pursue a grand jury indictment — avoiding the need
for a preliminary hearing — hoping to speed the process, Dist. Atty.
Tony Rackauckas said.
"What we want to do here is get this case to trial
as soon as we can," Rackauckas told victims' family and friends
outside the courtroom following the hearing.
Prosecutors hope to get the case to trial within a
year, Rackauckas said.
Dekraai is accused of entering the salon wearing a
bulletproof vest under his clothing and carrying multiple guns.
Dekraai's ex-wife, Michelle Fournier, worked in the
salon, and Dekraai allegedly shot her before turning to other salon
customers and employees and opening fire.
Court records show Dekraai and Fournier had been in
a bitter custody battle over their 8-year-old son.
Fournier's brother, Craig Burk, attended
Wednesday's hearing wearing a T-shirt with a blue heart bearing the
words, "Support in Love Seal Beach."
Burk, who lives out of state, has attended all of
Dekraai's court appearances and plans to keep doing so.
"The only way we can get through this is to be
here," Burk said.
Paul Wilson wore four buttons with photographs of
his wife, Christy Wilson, who was killed in the shooting. On one, she
is pictured smiling, holding her 2-year-old granddaughter, Madisyn.
As he left the courtroom, Wilson had tears in his
eyes and clutched a framed photo of Christy and him, dressed up to go
to a Christmas party.
DA
seeks death penalty in salon murders
SunNews.org
October 14, 2011
The Orange County District
Attorney announced Friday, Oct. 14, 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
investigated this case.
Scott Evan 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. He is being
held without bail and is scheduled to appear in court for a continued
arraignment, Nov. 29, at 8:30 a.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 employee; 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.
Boat accident haunted Seal Beach
shooting suspect
By Doug Irvin - The Orange County Register
October 13, 2011
SEAL BEACH – The lone suspect in the deadliest
shooting in Orange County history spent the past several years in
pain, haunted and hobbled by a gruesome boat accident that left him
unable to work.
Scott Dekraai, 41, also spent those years fighting
his ex-wife, a stylist at Salon Meritage, for custody of their young
son. They were in court together for a routine hearing less than 24
hours before the shooting, and colleagues have speculated that she was
the target of the gunfire at the salon that left eight dead.
Dekraai was being held without bail on suspicion of
murder. A long-time friend said the doughy man he saw being led away
in handcuffs in news photographs bore little resemblance to the fit
and fun-loving outdoorsman he once knew.
Friends called him Scotty, a swimmer, surfer and
sport fisherman who grew up in Long Beach and followed his fisherman
grandfather onto the water. He worked for years as a crewman on
fishing charters, and was so popular that groups often asked if he
would be aboard, said Don Ashley, owner of Pierpoint Landing
Sportfishing.
Dekraai later worked on Catalina Express boats,
Ashley said, and then moved on to tugboats. He was studying to get his
tugboat captain's license when a freak accident ended his career in
2007.
A tow cable pinned a fellow crewman against a
railing, killing her as Dekraai rushed to help, according to accounts
of the accident. The cable then ripped across Dekraai's leg, almost
severing it, Ashley said. Later, the pain from the nerve damage was so
intense that Dekraai couldn't sit in a chair long enough to work even
a desk job, Ashley said.
The injury marked a turning point in Dekraai's
life, records suggest. Within a month, he had filed for divorce from
his wife of four years, touching off a vicious custody battle that
dragged into the day she died. His step-father took out a restraining
order against him, and court records allege that Dekraai had attacked
him.
Dekraai's ex-wife, Michelle Fournier, said in court
documents that he was physically abusive and displayed the manic mood
swings of bipolar disorder. She confided in a close friend, Sharyn
White of Seal Beach, that he had twice threatened to kill her – once
saying he would shoot her at the salon, White said.
A psychiatrist wrote in the divorce court file that
Dekraai suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from the tugboat
accident. Ashley said Dekraai would replay the accident in his mind,
and suffered from nightmares.
"He was always a big, healthy, outdoorsy person,"
Ashley said. "Since he had this terrible accident, he hasn't been able
to do anything outdoorsy." The injury, he added, "was very, very ugly,
both mentally and physically."
Dekraai filed a personal-injury lawsuit against the
tugboat company, Foss, in early 2010, records show. His attorney,
Brian Magana, said he was seeking payment for lost wages, future
medical expenses and pain and suffering. The company settled a month
later, records show, but Magana said the terms of that settlement were
confidential.
Dekraai has lived at least since 2008 in a
single-story gray house on Melody Lane in Huntington Beach. He
remarried about two years ago. An attorney for his ex-wife said he had
been seeking full custody of their son, but a court-ordered review had
recently recommended against that.
Neighbors described Dekraai as a friendly and
doting father who they often saw outside playing ball with his son or
walking his dog. Several said he blamed his ex-wife for their divorce
and claimed it stemmed from his tugboat accident.
"My heart really goes out to his son," neighbor
Mark Rivera said. "He's a really cute little boy. I'm just thinking, I
don't know what's going to happen to him from this point forward.
'He lived for his son': Gunman 'shot dead eight
in beauty salon massacre to get back at hairdresser wife over custody
battle'
-
Ex-military Scott Dekraai in custody after allegedly
going on shooting spree
-
Happened at hair
salon in Orange County, California, where ex-wife worked
-
Thought to have
lost custody court case over son the day before shooting
-
Ex-wife Michelle previously alleged he was unstable
and physically abusive
-
Eight dead, including wife Michelle, in worst mass
murder in O.C. history
-
Dead owner Randy Fannin 'confronted him before being
told to "shut up"'
-
73-year-old woman among those seriously injured in
quiet area of California
-
Only one other
murder in last five years where actress Sandra Bullock lives
-
Witnesses describe
smell of gunpowder and 'eerie silence' after shooting
By Paul Bentley, David Gardner and Mark Duell
DailyMail.co.uk
October 13, 2011
A crazed gunman who shot dead eight people in an
upmarket beauty salon in California allegedly went on the rampage
after losing a custody battle over his son.
Scott Dekraai the ex-husband of one of the
stylists, allegedly shot nine hairdressers and customers at Salon
Meritage, just blocks from the Pacific Ocean in the upscale seaside
resort of Seal Beach.
His ex-wife, Michelle, is also reportedly among
those killed. Dekraai, 42, who used to serve in the military, is said
to have threatened violence after losing a court case against her over
their child.
The battle with Michelle Fournier Dekraai was over
the custody of their seven-year-old son, Dominic. She claimed in court
filings that he was unstable and physically abusive to her in their
marriage.
Three people, including a 73-year-old retired nurse
called Hattie Stretz, were initially rushed to hospital in critical
condition. Ms Stretz's condition is improving, reported the Los
Angeles Times, but the other two have since passed away.
Ms Stretz's daughter Laura Webb was reportedly
among those killed. One of the other victims is thought to be the
salon owner, Randy Fannin.
In all, one man and five women died at the salon;
one man and one woman died after being transported to a nearby
hospital; and one woman - Ms Stretz - was seriously injured.
Local youth soccer team Beach Futbol Club
identified a fourth victim - after Ms Fournier Dekraai, Ms Webb and Mr
Fannin - as Michelle Fast, who is a mother of a player. The identities
of the other four victims are not yet known.
The Orange County Register identified the fifth,
sixth and seventh victims on Thursday night as Victoria Buzzo, Dave
Caouette and Kristy Wilson The eighth victim is still not yet
identified.
Orange County authorities rushed to the scene and
seized Dekraai in a traffic stop a half-mile from the shooting on
Wednesday.
The alleged shooter, who lives locally, was thought
to have been wearing body armour during the attack. When officers
raided his car they found multiple weapons, police said.
He didn't offer any resistance when arrested and
police would not confirm any relationship between the man and any of
his victims.
Seal Beach Police Sergeant Steve Bowles said: 'We
believe he is the only shooter. He was taken into custody without
injury.'
As the town struggled to come to terms with the
shocking killing spree, witnesses said the gunman was embroiled in a
domestic dispute over custody with his ex-wife who worked as a stylist
at the salon.
Jake Rennison, 17, told the Orange County Register
that Scott had once asked him to teach his son to skateboard. He
added: 'He was totally devoted to his son. Totally.
'I can't believe this happened. The only thing I
can imagine is with the custody battle. His son was his life.'
Dekraai is said to have moved to the area two years
ago after being honourably discharged from the military because of a
work-related leg injury.
'There are victims throughout the entire salon,'
Sergeant Bowles added.
'There are survivors from inside the salon. A crime
of this magnitude is not something Seal Beach is familiar with.'
The shooting is reportedly the deadliest mass
killing in Orange County history. Among the victims is thought to be
the owner of the salon.
Randy Fannin died in the shooting, according to his
niece, Tami Scarcella, 39. 'Randy is dead,' she said while hugging a
friend. 'Randy is dead for sure.'
Kimberly Criswell, who owns a salon just two doors
away, said she and her customers and employees heard gunshots, and her
receptionist saw a man through a window as he was shot in a parking
lot.
'There was like a pop, pop and my receptionist
screamed, "he just shot that man" and we all ran into the bathroom and
locked the door,' Criswell said.
A middle-aged woman called Cindy was having her
hair done by Mr Fannin when the gunman opened fire. 'We thought it was
maybe firecrackers,' she told the Los Angeles Times.
'But he just didn’t stop. Anybody he saw he was
shooting. It went boom, boom, boom. I was afraid he was going to shoot
everybody.'
Mr Fannin allegedly confronted the gunman before
being told to 'shut up' as he continued firing.
'I could still smell gunpowder in the air,' witness
Riley Riggs, 27, told the Los Angeles Times, adding that the gunshots
were followed by an 'eerie silence' for several minutes.
Zach Benson said patrons at the restaurant where he
works ran outside when the shooting began. It just caught everyone off
guard,' he told NBC Los Angeles. 'It was a very bizarre scene.'
Shortly after he was arrested, police arrived at a
house on Melody Lane in nearby Huntington Beach and escorted two women
to a white car and then roped off the house with crime scene tape.
Neighbours identified photos of the alleged shooter
as their neighbour Scott. The house is registered to Scott Dekraai,
and one of the licensed cosmetologists at the salon was Michelle
Dekraai.
Kari Salveson of Los Alamitos, who attended a
service for the victims at SeaCoast Grace Church in Seal Beach, said
she had known Michelle Dekraai for several years.
She said she was aware that she and her ex-husband
were involved in a bitter custody dispute over their son. Ms Salveson
added Michelle Dekraai made her every visit to the salon special.
'She could gab away. She was one of those
girlfriends you could never get enough of. She made you smile and she
made you laugh,' Salveson said.
Several people who knew Michelle Dekaai also said
she sometimes went by her maiden name of Huff and it was unclear which
one she was currently using.
The one remaining injured victim is being treated
at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.
Some of those inside managed to escape without
harm, police said. Sergeant Bowles said the bodies of the killed and
the wounded were scattered throughout the salon.
One wounded man was found outside the building. It
wasn't clear if he was trying to flee when he was shot.
'We're unsure at this point if he shot from the
entrance and people, as they were shot, ran in seeking cover or
seeking shelter, but we have fatalities throughout the salon,' he
said.
'From my observation, it did look like people were
seeking shelter at the time.'
He said the salon was busy, with every
hair-dressing station in operation.
Salon employee Lorainne Bruielle, who wasn't
working on Wednesday, told the Long Beach Press-Telegram the gunman
was the husband of another employee.
Ms Bruielle said she talked to the husband of one
of the employees involved, who said one employee locked herself in the
salon's facial room and was unharmed while another man locked himself
in a bathroom but was wounded.
The shooter was spotted fleeing from the scene when
police arrived and gave himself up after a short car chase.
Lydia Sosa, who used to work at the salon, said the
suspect had gone through a bitter divorce with one of the women who
worked there.
'They were never happy for a long, long time,' she
told the New York Times. 'She said he was bitter. He was very bitter.'
A local man named Bill Horton added: '(It was a)
custody battle for seven-year-old son. Ex-Husband lost court case
yesterday. Apparently he had been making threats of violence.'
One of her neighbour's told KTLA she took out a
restraining order against her former husband on Tuesday.
Another neighbour, Jo Cornhall, added: 'I know
there was a custody battle involved with his son, Dominic, who I
believe is 7 or 8 years old.'
Dekraai, who worked on tugboats after being
discharged by the military, is said to have walked with a limp after a
boat accident.
He allegedly remarried Mindy Miguel, his rehab
nurse.
She is currently assisting detectives with their
investigations, according to neighbours.
Workers in neighbouring businesses said they hid in
the bathrooms after hearing shots.
One woman said she was working at a nail salon and
hid with about six other people for 15 minutes until they heard the
gunman was caught.
The three people who were not killed instantly were
rushed to hospital in critical condition.
Patients at the hospital said the victims were
rushed inside in a horrific state.
'They were bringing them in, and they were all
bloodied up,' Biagio Zaby, 67, told the Times.
'One got shot in the face. One got shot in the
chest. They took one in for a CAT scan. They said "Code Blue," which
is not a good deal.'
The shooting happened at about 1.30pm today. Those
hit included hair salon employees and customers.
Police had the murder scene roped off last night.
The quiet beachfront city of approximately 25,000
residents identifies itself as the Gateway to Southern California's
Orange County and is located about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Among its famous residents are 'Miss Congeniality'
film star Sandra Bullock.
It is home to Leisure World, a gated senior citizen
community of 9,000 people, as well as the Seal Beach Naval Weapons
Station military complex.
The city had just one homicide last year and none
during the previous three years, according to statistics compiled by
the Police Department.
Regulars at the salon reacted in horror when they
heard about the shooting.
Kalie Ann wrote on Twitter: 'I go to Salon Meritage
all the time and I was just there last Thursday. I can't believe
something so horrible happened there.' |
