Suspected Salon Shooter in Bitter Custody Dispute

Witnesses say Scott Dekraai apparently targeted ex-wife
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 13, 2011 7:13 AM CDT
Seal Beach Salon Shooting Suspect Involved in Bitter Custody Dispute; Apparently Targeted Ex-Wife
Police officers stand with a man who was being held in a patrol car at the scene of the arrest of a suspect near the Salon Meritage in Seal Beach, Calif.   (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Tragic details are emerging from the shooting that left eight people dead and one critically wounded yesterday at a Seal Beach salon. Police have identified the alleged shooter as Scott Dekraai, 42, who they say was wearing body armor when they apprehended him a half-mile from the scene. Dekraai was reportedly involved in a bitter custody dispute with his ex-wife Michelle, who worked at the salon and was apparently Dekraai’s target. KTLA reports that she was killed; the owner of the salon, Randy Fannin, reportedly also died.

Friends say Dekraai, who initiated the 2007 divorce, at one point appeared to have custody of the couple’s 8-year-old son, and that his ex-wife had to meet conditions such as abstaining from alcohol in order to visit with him. Neighbors say Dekraai’s ex-wife took out a restraining order against him on Tuesday, and that Dekraai was not happy with her parenting skills or their current joint custody arrangement. Meanwhile, witnesses describe a frantic scene. After the shooter sprayed the salon with bullets, he went outside and shot a man who was attempting to escape in a Range Rover. “He just didn't stop. Anybody he saw he was shooting,” one woman tells the Los Angeles Times. (More Scott Dekraai stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X