Solved case
2011 Seal Beach shooting
On October 12, 2011, Scott Evans Dekraai shot and killed eight people and wounded one other at the Salon Meritage hair salon in Seal Beach, California, in what became the deadliest mass killing in Orange County history. Dekraai pleaded guilty in 2014 and was sentenced in 2017 to life imprisonment without parole.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, October 12, 2011, at approximately 1:21 p.m. PDT, police responded to reports of shots fired at the Salon Meritage hair salon at 500 Pacific Coast Highway in Seal Beach, California. About twenty people were inside the salon at the time. The shooter, armed with three handguns — a 9mm Springfield, a .45-caliber Heckler & Koch, and a .44 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 29 — fired repeatedly over the course of roughly two minutes, reloading at least once. Six people were declared dead at the scene, and three additional survivors were taken to a hospital, where two later died of their wounds. A ninth victim was shot in the parking lot while sitting in his vehicle. Only one person shot survived.
The victims were identified as Victoria Buzzo, 54; David Caouette, 64; Randy Lee Fannin, 62 (owner of the salon); Michele Daschbach Fast, 47; Michelle Marie Fournier, 48; Lucia Bernice Kondas, 65; Laura Webb, 46; and Christy Lynn Wilson, 47. Hattie Stretz, 73, was critically injured but survived. Fournier, a stylist at the salon, was the shooter's former wife; the two had divorced in 2007 after four years of marriage and were engaged in a custody dispute over their son. A court hearing recommending a near-equal custody arrangement had taken place the day before the shooting.
The suspect, identified by police as 41-year-old Scott Evans Dekraai of Huntington Beach, California, was arrested without incident approximately half a mile from the scene while driving a white pickup truck; he was wearing body armor at the time of his arrest. In an affidavit submitted to police, Dekraai said he first shot Fournier multiple times upon entering the salon, contradicting eyewitness accounts that salon owner Randy Fannin was the first person shot. Dekraai said he had argued with Fournier by phone that morning and that he believed David Caouette, an apparently random victim in the parking lot, was an off-duty or undercover police officer.
On October 14, 2011, then–Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced that Dekraai would be charged with eight counts of murder with special circumstances and one count of attempted murder, and that his office would seek the death penalty. Dekraai was arraigned on November 29, 2011, and pleaded not guilty. After multiple delays, he pleaded guilty to the shooting on May 2, 2014. In March 2015, Judge Thomas Goethals removed the Orange County District Attorney's Office from the case, ruling it had improperly withheld evidence from the defense, and assigned the California Attorney General's office to take over prosecution. In August 2017, Goethals ruled Dekraai ineligible for the death penalty due to prosecutorial misconduct in the case. On September 22, 2017, Dekraai was sentenced to eight terms of life imprisonment without parole and one term of seven years to life for attempted murder.
A candlelight vigil was held the evening after the shooting, and a victims' fund raised approximately $400,000. The salon reopened under the same name in November 2012, and a memorial to the victims was built in Eisenhower Park in Seal Beach in 2015.
Key facts
- Victims
- Michelle Marie Fournier, Randy Lee Fannin, Laura Webb, Michele Daschbach Fast, Hattie Stretz, Christy Lynn Wilson, David Caouette, Victoria Buzzo, Lucia Bernice Kondas
- Date
- 2011
- Location
- Salon Meritage, 500 Pacific Coast Highway, Seal Beach, California
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
2007
Scott Evans Dekraai and Michelle Fournier divorce after four years of marriage; a custody dispute over their son follows.
2011-10-11
A court hearing recommends a near-equal custody arrangement for Dekraai and Fournier's son.
2011-10-12
Dekraai opens fire at the Salon Meritage hair salon in Seal Beach, killing eight people and wounding one; he is arrested shortly after near the scene.
2011-10-13
A candlelight vigil is held for the victims.
2011-10-14
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announces Dekraai will face eight counts of murder with special circumstances and one count of attempted murder, and that the death penalty will be sought.
2011-11-29
Dekraai is arraigned and pleads not guilty.
2012-11-18
A remodeled Salon Meritage reopens under the same name.
2014-05-02
Dekraai pleads guilty to the shooting.
2015-03
Judge Thomas Goethals removes the Orange County District Attorney's Office from the case for withholding evidence; the California Attorney General's office takes over prosecution.
2015
A memorial to the victims is built in Eisenhower Park in Seal Beach.
2017-08
Judge Goethals rules Dekraai ineligible for the death penalty due to prosecutorial misconduct.
2017-09-22
Dekraai is sentenced to eight terms of life imprisonment without parole and one term of seven years to life for attempted murder.
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People
Michelle Marie Fournier
VICTIMSalon employee and Dekraai's former wife; killed in the shooting.
Randy Lee Fannin
VICTIMOwner of Salon Meritage; killed in the shooting.
Laura Webb
VICTIMSalon employee; killed while styling her mother's hair.
Michele Daschbach Fast
VICTIMCustomer at the salon; killed in the shooting.
Hattie Stretz
VICTIMCustomer critically injured in the shooting; survived.
Christy Lynn Wilson
VICTIMSalon employee; killed in the shooting.
Scott Evans Dekraai
CONVICTEDPleaded guilty on May 2, 2014, to the shooting; sentenced September 22, 2017, to eight terms of life imprisonment without parole and one term of seven years to life for attempted murder.
David Caouette
VICTIMKilled while seated in his vehicle in the parking lot outside the salon.
Victoria Buzzo
VICTIMSalon employee; killed in the shooting.
Lucia Bernice Kondas
VICTIMCustomer at the salon; killed in the shooting.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
SealBeachSalon
Credit: 72Dino · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- On October 12, 2011, Scott Evans Dekraai shot and killed eight people and wounded one other at the Salon Meritage hair salon in Seal Beach, California, in what became the deadliest mass killing in Orange County history. Dekraai pleaded guilty in 2014 and was sentenced in 2017 to life imprisonment without parole.
- Where did the shooting happen?
- Salon Meritage, 500 Pacific Coast Highway, Seal Beach, California.
- Who was convicted?
- Scott Evans Dekraai (Pleaded guilty on May 2, 2014, to the shooting; sentenced September 22, 2017, to eight terms of life imprisonment without parole and one term of seven years to life for attempted murder.).
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved.
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Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDIC2011 Seal Beach shootingWikipedia · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-07
Record history
- First published
- JUL 07, 2026
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