Prosecutors announced last Friday they will seek the death penalty for a man, they say, is responsible for killing eight people, after opening fire in a Seal Beach hair and nail salon.
Scott Dekraai, 41, protected himself with body armor and carried three handguns into Salon Meritage on Oct. 12, where he killed six people on the scene and sent another three to a local hospital, according to the Orange Country District Attorney’s office.
Two were pronounced dead at the hospital and 73-year-old Harriet Stretz remains in critical condition.
“There are some crimes that are so depraved, so callous, so malignant, that there is only one punishment that will fit the crime,” Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said about seeking the death penalty.
Prosecutors explained that Dekraai sought revenge against his ex-wife Michelle Marie Fournier after a custody battle over their 8-year-old son, according to the Associated Press.
Dekraai allegedly got into a verbal argument with Fournier over the phone regarding the custody dispute on the morning of the shooting, according to the O.C. district attorney.
The man is being charged with eight felony counts of special circumstances murder and one felony count of attempted murder.
At 1:21 p.m. Wednesday, Dekraai entered Salon Meritage with three weapons — a 9 mm Springfield rifle, a Smith & Wesson .44-caliber Magnum revolver, and a Heckler & Koch .45-caliber pistol.
After killing patrons and employees, including his ex-wife, at random and in close range, prosecutors said, Dekraai killed a man — David Caouette, 64, of Seal Beach — parked in his car outside the salon.
Dekraai fled the scene in his white Toyota Tundra pick-up truck. He was stopped by police 30 seconds later with large amounts of ammunition in his trunk.
He is being held without bail in the Orange County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court for a continued arraignment Nov. 29.
Members of the community gathered throughout the weekend in front of the salon to drop off flowers and cards.
Debbie Johnson said Randy Fannin, owner of the salon and victim of the shooting, was her hairstylist for 20 years.
She described him as having a”beautiful smile.” She visited the salon to lay flowers and look at the memorial in the afternoon.
“I felt close to him and I just wanted to be with him one last time,” she said. “He made everyone feel like you were his best friend.”
Hundreds of members of the Seal Beach community gathered in the parking lot in front of Salon Meritage on Friday for a candlelight vigil. Tissue boxes in one hand and candles in another, members of the community, both young and old, spoke.
The audience cried in memory of those lost, and applauded at suggestions that the crime would not define the city.
The vigil ended with a moment of silence.
The victims of the shooting are: Victoria Ann Buzzo of Laguna Beach, David Caouette of Seal Beach, Laura Lee Elody of Huntington Beach, Randy Lee Fannin of Murrieta, Lucia Bernice Kondas of Huntington Beach, Michelle Daschbach Fast of Seal Beach, Michelle Marie Fournier of Los Alamitos and Christy Lynn Wilson of Cerritos.
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