8 Dead in Shooting at California Hair Salon

Another person wounded by gunman
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 12, 2011 6:21 PM CDT
Updated Oct 12, 2011 8:01 PM CDT
6 Dead in Shooting at California Hair Salon
Investigators stand near the site where six people were killed and three were wounded in a shooting at a hair salon in Seal Beach, Calif.   (Chris Carlson)

Eight people were killed and another critically wounded today when a gunman opened fire in a busy hair salon, leaving victims' bodies scattered throughout the business in a normally sedate Southern California beach community. The gunman got into a car and drove away from Salon Meritage in Seal Beach. He was stopped by officers about a half-mile away and surrendered without incident, said police Sgt. Steve Bowles. His name has not been released.

Police were struggling to determine the motive for the killings. "There may be something to the motive as to a relationship with somebody in the salon, that is our assumption," Bowles said. Seal Beach has seen just one other homicide in the past four years. "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," said Bowles. He said the salon was busy at the time, with every hair-dressing station in operation. (More shooting stories.)

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