California -- A gunman opened fire in a busy hair salon, killing eight people and critically wounding another while leaving bodies scattered throughout the business in a normally sedate Southern California beach community.
The gunman got into a truck and drove away from Salon Meritage after Wednesday's shootings.
Scott Evans Dekraai, 42, was stopped by officers about a half-mile away and surrendered without incident while saying he had multiple weapons with him, police Sgt. Steve Bowles said.
Dekraai was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder, Bowles said.
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 remained in critical condition late Wednesday. Their names have not been released.
Friends of the salon owner said the gunman was the ex-husband of a stylist who worked there. Bowles would only say, "There may be something to the motive as to a relationship with somebody in the salon, that is our assumption." He declined to elaborate later.
Kimberly Criswell, who owns a salon just two doors down from the scene of the shootings, 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.
Glenn Zachman, who owns a video newsgathering service, said he arrived at the scene of the arrest shortly after police and saw they had placed plastic bags over the man's hands to preserve possible gunshot residue.
He also saw a bulletproof vest on the back of a patrol car but didn't know if the man, dressed in a button-down shirt and pants, had been wearing it.
The man, in handcuffs, was placed in a patrol car and taken away about two-and-a-half hours after the shooting. A new white pickup truck that was believed to be his was parked on the modest residential street with its doors open.
The man was cooperative when officers, working from a description of the shooter, stopped him near the salon, Bowles said.
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. Neighbors identified photos of the alleged shooter as their neighbor 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 and was aware that she and her ex-husband were involved in a bitter custody dispute over their son.
She said 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 DeKraai also said she sometimes went by her maiden name of Huff and it was unclear which one she was currently using.
In Huntington Beach, people were shocked to learn that one of the friendliest men in the neighborhood had been arrested for the shootings.
Dekraai's neighbors described him as a friendly man who invited them over for pool parties at the house he'd lived in for about six years. They said he doted on his son, playing catch with the boy in his yard. Police arrested 42-year-old Scott Dekraai about a half-mile from the scene but did not release a motive or any other details.
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 remained in critical condition. Their names have not been released.
Friends of the salon owner and other employees said Dekraai was the ex-husband of a stylist who worked there. One of the licensed cosmetologists at the salon was listed as Michelle Dekraai. Bowles would only say, "There may be something to the motive as to a relationship with somebody in the salon, that is our assumption." He declined to elaborate later.
Glenn Zachman, who owns a video news-gathering service, said he arrived at the scene of the arrest shortly after police and saw they had placed plastic bags over the man's hands to preserve possible gunshot residue. He also saw a bulletproof vest on the back of a patrol car but didn't know if the man, dressed in a button-down shirt and pants, had been wearing it.
The man, in handcuffs, was placed in a patrol car and taken away about two-and-a-half hours after the shooting. A new white pickup truck that was believed to be his was parked on the modest residential street with its doors open.
The man was cooperative when officers, working from a description of the shooter, stopped him near the salon, Bowles said.
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. The house is registered to Scott Dekraai. Seal Beach police have identified the suspect in a salon shooting massacre that left eight people dead and one critically wounded.
Police Sgt. Steve Bowles says 42-year-old Scott Evans Dekraai of Huntington Beach was arrested Wednesday and booked on suspicion of murder.
Police say Dekraai was stopped by officers about a half-mile away from the shooting scene at Salon Meritage and surrendered without incident.
Friends of the salon owner said the Dekraai was the ex-husband of a stylist who worked there.
Bowles would only say, "There may be something to the motive as to a relationship with somebody in the salon, that is our assumption." He declined to elaborate later.
Shortly after Dekraai's arrest, police arrived at a house on Melody Lane in nearby Huntington Beach.
They escorted two women to a white car and then roped off the house with crime scene tape.
Neighbors identified photos of the alleged shooter as their neighbor 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 and was aware that she and her ex-husband were involved in a bitter custody dispute over their son.
She said 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.
In Huntington Beach, people were shocked to learn that one of the friendliest men in the neighborhood had been arrested for the shootings.
Dekraai's neighbors described him as a friendly man who invited them over for pool parties at the house he'd lived in for about six years. They said he doted on his son, playing catch with the boy in his yard.
Neighbors said they were aware Dekraai was in a custody battle with his ex-wife over their son, who neighbors said is 7 or 8 years old.
"It was a very difficult battle and he was trying to get more time with his son," said Jo Cornhall, who lives across the street from Dekraai.
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 remained in critical condition late Wednesday.
Authorities did not immediately release the names of the victims.
A middle-aged woman, who would only give her first name as "Cindy," told The Los Angeles Times that patrons thought the popping was firecrackers.
"But he just didn't stop. Anybody he saw he was shooting," she told the paper. "It went boom, boom, boom. I was afraid he was going to shoot everybody."
"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," Bowles told reporters at a news conference outside the business. "From my observation, it did look like people were seeking shelter at the time."
The shooting was reported at 1:21 p.m. local time at the quiet, beach front city about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The city had only one homicide last year and none during the previous three years, according to statistics compiled by the Police Department.
"It just caught everyone off guard and people started running outside to see what was happening," Zach Benson, who was working at a nearby restaurant, told KNBC-TV. "It was a very bizarre scene."
Several visibly distressed people stood near the scene talking on cell phones or to police. They declined to be interviewed.
"All I heard was a siren and then after that one of my co-workers got a phone call from her nephew. He was outdoors when the suspect got into his truck and took off," said Cindy Spinosa, 51, who works at a nearby business.
Police have identified the suspect who is believed to have opened fire in a Southern California hair salon leaving eight people dead and another wounded.
Seal Beach police identified the suspect as Scott Evans De Kraai, who is believed to have entered the Salon Meritage in Seal Beach, Calif. Wednesday and opened fire in a massacre that killed six people immediately. Once authorities arrived all six victims were declared dead on the scene.
The three people who were injured in the incident were hospitalized and are considered in critical condition. Two of those victims died, police later said.
The names of the deceased are being withheld until family members are notified, but police said that of the six that were shot inside the salon, five were females and one was male, and of the two who died in the hospital, one was female and the other was male. The victim that is currently hospitalized is female. It was not immediately clear if the victims were customers or employees.
Authorities responded to the shooting at the salon in the coastal town about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. The salon is in the 500 block of Pacific Coast Highway.
"Our officers arrived on scene and found multiple gunshot victims inside of the salon," Sgt. Steve Bowles of the Seal Beach Police Department told reporters this evening. "Other responding officers who arrived saw ... what they thought was a suspect vehicle leaving the area and made a car stop on that vehicle, and took that suspect into custody."
Bowles said the salon was busy at the time of the shooting, with every station occupied. He said it appeared that the victims were seeking shelter when they were shot. Some of the people inside were able to escape unharmed.
The 911 call came from outside of the business.
A suspect who police believe was the only shooter was taken into custody a half-mile from the crime scene. Police said the white male was driving through a residential area in the direction of Huntington Beach, Calif.
Authorities have not yet released the suspect's name, but said they found multiple weapons in the suspect's car. KABC reported that he appeared to be wearing body armor.
Police said the suspect was cooperative at the time of the arrest and was taken to the Seal County Police Department.
Police do not know the man's relationship to the salon or the shooting victims. A motive for the shooting has not yet been determined.
Los Angeles is reporting that six people have been killed and at least three others injured in a workplace shooting in the town of Seal Beach.
Seal Beach is a Los Angeles suburb located on the south side of the metropolitan area.
The Los Angeles Times reports the shooting took place at Salon Meritage, a beauty salon along Pacific Coast Highway.
A suspect was arrested in a traffic stop about a half-mile from the salon and multiple weapons were also seized.
The gunman got into a truck and drove away from Salon Meritage after Wednesday's shootings.
Scott Evans Dekraai, 42, was stopped by officers about a half-mile away and surrendered without incident while saying he had multiple weapons with him, police Sgt. Steve Bowles said.
Dekraai was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder, Bowles said.
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 remained in critical condition late Wednesday. Their names have not been released.
Friends of the salon owner said the gunman was the ex-husband of a stylist who worked there. Bowles would only say, "There may be something to the motive as to a relationship with somebody in the salon, that is our assumption." He declined to elaborate later.
Kimberly Criswell, who owns a salon just two doors down from the scene of the shootings, 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.
Glenn Zachman, who owns a video newsgathering service, said he arrived at the scene of the arrest shortly after police and saw they had placed plastic bags over the man's hands to preserve possible gunshot residue.
He also saw a bulletproof vest on the back of a patrol car but didn't know if the man, dressed in a button-down shirt and pants, had been wearing it.
The man, in handcuffs, was placed in a patrol car and taken away about two-and-a-half hours after the shooting. A new white pickup truck that was believed to be his was parked on the modest residential street with its doors open.
The man was cooperative when officers, working from a description of the shooter, stopped him near the salon, Bowles said.
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. Neighbors identified photos of the alleged shooter as their neighbor 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 and was aware that she and her ex-husband were involved in a bitter custody dispute over their son.
She said 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 DeKraai also said she sometimes went by her maiden name of Huff and it was unclear which one she was currently using.
In Huntington Beach, people were shocked to learn that one of the friendliest men in the neighborhood had been arrested for the shootings.
Dekraai's neighbors described him as a friendly man who invited them over for pool parties at the house he'd lived in for about six years. They said he doted on his son, playing catch with the boy in his yard. Police arrested 42-year-old Scott Dekraai about a half-mile from the scene but did not release a motive or any other details.
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 remained in critical condition. Their names have not been released.
Friends of the salon owner and other employees said Dekraai was the ex-husband of a stylist who worked there. One of the licensed cosmetologists at the salon was listed as Michelle Dekraai. Bowles would only say, "There may be something to the motive as to a relationship with somebody in the salon, that is our assumption." He declined to elaborate later.
Glenn Zachman, who owns a video news-gathering service, said he arrived at the scene of the arrest shortly after police and saw they had placed plastic bags over the man's hands to preserve possible gunshot residue. He also saw a bulletproof vest on the back of a patrol car but didn't know if the man, dressed in a button-down shirt and pants, had been wearing it.
The man, in handcuffs, was placed in a patrol car and taken away about two-and-a-half hours after the shooting. A new white pickup truck that was believed to be his was parked on the modest residential street with its doors open.
The man was cooperative when officers, working from a description of the shooter, stopped him near the salon, Bowles said.
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. The house is registered to Scott Dekraai. Seal Beach police have identified the suspect in a salon shooting massacre that left eight people dead and one critically wounded.
Police Sgt. Steve Bowles says 42-year-old Scott Evans Dekraai of Huntington Beach was arrested Wednesday and booked on suspicion of murder.
Police say Dekraai was stopped by officers about a half-mile away from the shooting scene at Salon Meritage and surrendered without incident.
Friends of the salon owner said the Dekraai was the ex-husband of a stylist who worked there.
Bowles would only say, "There may be something to the motive as to a relationship with somebody in the salon, that is our assumption." He declined to elaborate later.
Shortly after Dekraai's arrest, police arrived at a house on Melody Lane in nearby Huntington Beach.
They escorted two women to a white car and then roped off the house with crime scene tape.
Neighbors identified photos of the alleged shooter as their neighbor 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 and was aware that she and her ex-husband were involved in a bitter custody dispute over their son.
She said 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.
In Huntington Beach, people were shocked to learn that one of the friendliest men in the neighborhood had been arrested for the shootings.
Dekraai's neighbors described him as a friendly man who invited them over for pool parties at the house he'd lived in for about six years. They said he doted on his son, playing catch with the boy in his yard.
Neighbors said they were aware Dekraai was in a custody battle with his ex-wife over their son, who neighbors said is 7 or 8 years old.
"It was a very difficult battle and he was trying to get more time with his son," said Jo Cornhall, who lives across the street from Dekraai.
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 remained in critical condition late Wednesday.
Authorities did not immediately release the names of the victims.
A middle-aged woman, who would only give her first name as "Cindy," told The Los Angeles Times that patrons thought the popping was firecrackers.
"But he just didn't stop. Anybody he saw he was shooting," she told the paper. "It went boom, boom, boom. I was afraid he was going to shoot everybody."
"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," Bowles told reporters at a news conference outside the business. "From my observation, it did look like people were seeking shelter at the time."
The shooting was reported at 1:21 p.m. local time at the quiet, beach front city about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The city had only one homicide last year and none during the previous three years, according to statistics compiled by the Police Department.
"It just caught everyone off guard and people started running outside to see what was happening," Zach Benson, who was working at a nearby restaurant, told KNBC-TV. "It was a very bizarre scene."
Several visibly distressed people stood near the scene talking on cell phones or to police. They declined to be interviewed.
"All I heard was a siren and then after that one of my co-workers got a phone call from her nephew. He was outdoors when the suspect got into his truck and took off," said Cindy Spinosa, 51, who works at a nearby business.
Police have identified the suspect who is believed to have opened fire in a Southern California hair salon leaving eight people dead and another wounded.
Seal Beach police identified the suspect as Scott Evans De Kraai, who is believed to have entered the Salon Meritage in Seal Beach, Calif. Wednesday and opened fire in a massacre that killed six people immediately. Once authorities arrived all six victims were declared dead on the scene.
The three people who were injured in the incident were hospitalized and are considered in critical condition. Two of those victims died, police later said.
The names of the deceased are being withheld until family members are notified, but police said that of the six that were shot inside the salon, five were females and one was male, and of the two who died in the hospital, one was female and the other was male. The victim that is currently hospitalized is female. It was not immediately clear if the victims were customers or employees.
Authorities responded to the shooting at the salon in the coastal town about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. The salon is in the 500 block of Pacific Coast Highway.
"Our officers arrived on scene and found multiple gunshot victims inside of the salon," Sgt. Steve Bowles of the Seal Beach Police Department told reporters this evening. "Other responding officers who arrived saw ... what they thought was a suspect vehicle leaving the area and made a car stop on that vehicle, and took that suspect into custody."
Bowles said the salon was busy at the time of the shooting, with every station occupied. He said it appeared that the victims were seeking shelter when they were shot. Some of the people inside were able to escape unharmed.
The 911 call came from outside of the business.
A suspect who police believe was the only shooter was taken into custody a half-mile from the crime scene. Police said the white male was driving through a residential area in the direction of Huntington Beach, Calif.
Authorities have not yet released the suspect's name, but said they found multiple weapons in the suspect's car. KABC reported that he appeared to be wearing body armor.
Police said the suspect was cooperative at the time of the arrest and was taken to the Seal County Police Department.
Police do not know the man's relationship to the salon or the shooting victims. A motive for the shooting has not yet been determined.
Los Angeles is reporting that six people have been killed and at least three others injured in a workplace shooting in the town of Seal Beach.
Seal Beach is a Los Angeles suburb located on the south side of the metropolitan area.
The Los Angeles Times reports the shooting took place at Salon Meritage, a beauty salon along Pacific Coast Highway.
A suspect was arrested in a traffic stop about a half-mile from the salon and multiple weapons were also seized.
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