Yesterday, a man diagnosed with and suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, shot 9, killing 8 and critically injuring another. Scott Evans Dekraai, thrust through the doors of the Seal Beach Salon Meritage–his ex-wife, Michelle Fournier, the intended target. According to family members, she was killed in the attack.
Witnesses stated that he was wearing body armor–that he yelled that he had knives in both pockets, and was well armed. Survivors who were in the salon at the time of the shooting said that he began shooting, and it seemed like he wouldn’t stop. That he shot anyone within his view.
Once Dekraai stopped shooting, he got into his white Toyota pick-up truck and drove away, before police pulled him over several blocks away. There, he surrendered without incident. The body armor was removed from his personage and he was placed under arrest.
Dekraai and Fournier were involved in a bitter custody battle that began in 2007, after a tugboat accident left Dekraai permanently disabled with leg injuries–he also witnessed the death of a colleague, Piper Cameron, in the accident. Life changed drastically for Dekraai, a once agile, strong and slim former Marine, he was left without mobility and had to undergo one surgery after another.
He filed for divorce from Fournier, and was granted custody of their son. During their separation, a doctor suggested to the court that repeated phone calls from Fournier were “extremely stressful” and “not healthy” for Dekraai’s recovery process. It seems they could never come to terms, or find a peaceful common ground for the sake of their son.
Seal Beach is a very quiet, quaint community located near Long Beach, CA, and these types of incidents are unheard of. It ranks as the largest shooting incident in Orange County history. The gun debate, always lying in wait just below the surface, erupted once again. The question: Could anything have been done to prevent this?
Comments
scallywag
October 13th, 2011 - 7:44:44 PM
Who could reason what was going on in Mr Dekraai’s mind as he stood there in front of the salon, dressed in body armor (yes he had come fully prepared for battle, because life is always a battle…),seething, hurt, humiliated and robbed of his manhood,his child, his wife and his self respect. One could wonder. And just like that, Mr Dekraai focuses on the impending carnage infront of him, laying desperate bullets in a fast forward motion, like all the other action heroes in his life. Cause he at least was that in his mind....or maybe he wasn't? http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2011/10/ex-militia-man-kills-eight-on-a-shooting-spree-targeting-ex-wife/
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James
October 13th, 2011 - 10:53:25 PM
Scallywag... you want us to come to your site and read your opinions? Just ask...
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Randy
October 14th, 2011 - 11:48:27 AM
Sorry for his son and the other families, now he has no family and others have lost part of theirs.
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Nanjing03
October 16th, 2011 - 7:09:55 PM
This is really a tragic story for all concerned. What answer is there to have prevented it other than closer court monitoring of the post-divorce events. I guess even the anti-gun fanatics know better than to turn out beating their drums and tambourines over this. No amount of gun control would have prevented it.
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