Suspected salon gunman was in bitter custody battle

SEAL BEACH, Calif.?? The suspected gunman in the shooting at a Southern California hair salon was involved in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife, an employee at the salon, court records show.

Six women and two men died in the attack at Salon Meritage on Wednesday. A gunman burst through the door and began shooting, sending terrified customers diving for cover. The shooter then stepped outside, shot a man sitting in a truck in the parking lot and sped off.

Police arrested 42-year-old Scott Dekraai about a half-mile from the scene. He did not struggle, police said. The gunman wore body armor and had several guns, police and witnesses said.

The Orange County Register named six of the victims, identified by relatives, friends and colleages: Michelle Fournier Dekraai, the suspect's ex-wife; Randy Fannin, the salon owner; Victoria Buzzo, Laura Webb and Michelle Fast, killed inside the salon; and Dave Caouette, killed outside the salon. Hattie Strez, Webb's mother, was wounded in the attack. The identities of the two other victims were awaiting Register confirmation, the report said.

Police did not release a motive for the shooting. However, court records and acquaintances said he and his ex-wife, who worked at the salon as a licensed cosmetologist, had been locked in a bitter custody battle over their son since he filed for divorce in 2007.

Dekraai was in court for a hearing in the custody dispute on Tuesday, the Register reported. His ex-wife's attorney, John Cate Jr., said Dekraai was seeking full custody of their son, but a court-ordered review recommended against it, according to the Register report.

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.

History of problems
Lydia Sosa, a hairstylist who left two years ago to work at a new business with a friend, said the gunman's ex-wife spoke often of her relationship problems.

"They had been having bitter problems for years and I guess he just went in there and started shooting," Sosa said.

In a May court filing, Michelle Fournier Dekraai claimed that Scott Dekraai was unstable and physically abusive to her during their marriage. She said he was "almost manic" and asked the court to decline his request for more time with the boy.

She wrote that giving Scott Dekraai more custody of their child would be lead to "a situation where the inmates are running the asylum."

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She also wrote that her ex-husband had been physically abusive to her during their marriage, and that in 2008 he beat his stepfather, pleaded guilty to assault and battery and underwent a year of anger management.

A temporary restraining order obtained by Scott Dekraai's stepfather in 2007 said that Dekraai attacked him that year, leaving him with cuts and bruises on his face and right arm. It said Dekraai's son witnessed the attack.

Michelle Dekraai also alleged that her ex-husband called emergency services at least once and "advised that he was going to kill himself or someone else." She wrote that he "is a diagnosed bipolar individual who has problems with his own medication and his reaction to same, and he certainly shouldn't be allowed to have unilateral and unfettered control of any and all medical and psychological aspects of our son's life."

In his own court filing, Scott Dekraai alleged that his ex-wife had a drinking problem, saying she was talking loudly and slurring words at their son's baseball game earlier this year and that her breath smelled of alcohol when he picked up his son from her house one time last year.

Earlier court records showed that the suspected gunman suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of a 2007 tugboat accident, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Dekraai suffered a serious leg injury while attempting to save a co-worker who died in the accident, the Long Beach Press Telegram reported.

The PTSD diagnosis was made by his doctor in court documents contained in Dekraai's divorce and custody proceedings in 2008, the Los Angeles Times report said. The document also stated that repeated phone calls from Michelle Fournier Dekraai were "extremely stressful" and not healthy" for Dekraai. The court limited contact between the couple to only one phone call per week, the Times reported.

Worst shooting in Orange County history
It was the worst mass shooting in Orange County history since July 12, 1976, when custodian Edward Allaway killed seven people and wounded two others at California State University, Fullerton. Allaway was convicted of murder but later found to be insane.

A woman who was wounded in the rampage remained in critical condition Thursday, police said. Sgt. Steve Bowles said the woman was showing some signs of improvement. Her name was not released.

The crime scene tape around the salon was gone early Thursday, with blinds on the side windows drawn and black plastic bags taped over the front windows and door.

A memorial to the victims early Thursday started with two candles, some pink Hybiscus blooms and a handwritten poem called "The Day After."

Written on line notebook paper and signed only Laurie, it was "dedicated to all who lost and a most precious Seal Beach that didn't deserve this carnage."

Mary Stearns of Huntington Beach came by to show her respects and leave a red candle. She knew Fannin, the salon owner, for more than 30 years, following him to three different salons over the years to get her hair done every eight weeks.

"I was going to have him over for Christmas. I just saw him on Saturday. I had a bottle of wine I brought back from Australia. He loved wine," she said.

A woman who gave her name only as Cindy told the Orange County Register that she was in the salon, having her hair colored, when the gunman came in, went up to a woman stylist and fired.

At first, the customer said she thought it was a Halloween prank.

Then the man shot a woman who was having her hair shampooed, and then shot the salon owner, who was coloring Cindy's hair, she said.

"I just kept hearing boom, boom, boom, boom," she said. "I ran out. I didn't see his face. I just saw the gun in his hand and him shoot (everybody)."

Cindy said she ran next door to another business, where she went into the bathroom, closed the door and turned out the light.

"There was like a 'pop pop' ... and my receptionist screamed out, 'He just shot that man' and we all went into the bathroom and called 911," said Kimberly Criswell, who owns a salon two doors away and knew many hairstylists at Salon Meritage. "I'm sure I've lost some friends today."

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 more than 10 years.

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.

Neighbors shocked
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 an outgoing 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.

Next-door neighbor Stephanie Malchow, 29, said she was shocked when she saw the photo of the stocky man with thinning hair being detained by Seal Beach police.

"I'm like, no, not this neighbor, no way, he's the nicest guy ever," Malchow said.

Dekraai married his current wife two or three years ago in his backyard, said Malchow, who attended the wedding.

"He seemed very happy, he was just so happy he found someone new who loved his son," she said.

Seal Beach has seen just one other homicide in the past four years, and Bowles said Wednesday's killings were the greatest tragedy to ever strike the seaside town.

The downtown is dotted with salons, restaurants, antique shops and boutiques clustered just blocks from a beach and pier popular with teenagers and young families. Many residents live and work within walking distance of the ocean and many businesses cater to Leisure World, a gated retirement community a few miles away that is home to 9,000 people.

"It's like Mayberry in the middle of Los Angeles," said Doyle Surratt, lead pastor of SeaCoast Grace Church. "We're small and all the kids go to school together."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44892376/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

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