5 years after mass shooting, Seal Beach recalls its darkest day
On most days, Irma Acosta trims, styles and develops a relationship with clients at Salon Meritage.
Between clients, she typically makes a quick call to Calypso, a juice bar in the same Seal Beach shopping area, and places an order to pick up before her next client arrives.
Five years ago, she placed an order and went to pick up a protein shake, not knowing that the few minutes she was absent from the salon would save her from a mass shooting.
Wednesday marks the fifth anniversary of a shooting at the salon in which eight people were slain. It is Orange County’s deadliest mass shooting.
Scott Dekraai, who had been involved in a custody dispute with his ex-wife, salon employee Michelle Fournier, one of the victims, pleaded guilty in May 2014 to eight counts of first-degree murder.
No formal event is planned to commemorate the tragedy, though some residents say they will meet at Eisenhower Park, where a steel heart-shaped plaque was installed to remember those who died.
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Acosta said she remembers the victims by keeping the salon open every day after becoming its owner and refurbishing it in 2012. The business remains at 500 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Randy Fannin, the owner of Salon Meritage at the time of the shooting and one of the eight people killed, “was passionate about his profession, and that’s what we want to honor,” Acosta said. “I think of how proud Randy would be.
“I need to be in the present and live with gratitude that I’m here.”
On Oct. 12, 2011, Acosta was a stylist for the salon and worked alongside Fannin and his wife, Sandy. She had known the two for nearly two decades and had formed close relationships with all who worked at the salon.
Sandy Fannin, who escaped the shooting, is now co-owner of the salon with Acosta. She declined to be interviewed.
Acosta vividly recalls leaving to pick up her protein shake with plans to return to do the eyebrows for a client who had just finished getting a haircut from Randy Fannin. The client had encouraged her to get her drink before she started.
So, Acosta stepped out. Nearly five minutes later, she returned and was met by a colleague who had managed to escape the shooting by hiding in a bathroom.
“My colleague told me not to go inside because everyone was dead, but I didn’t believe him,” she said. “At that point, I remember we were standing outside and I asked if [Randy Fannin] was still here. I saw police cars but I couldn’t hear anything — all I could see was the yellow tape being put up around the perimeter.”
When Sandy Fannin and Acosta decided to keep the salon open and remodel it, Acosta worked with a designer to create an atmosphere in which anyone who walked in would feel calm and at peace, almost as if they were being embraced, she said.
Acosta said loyal customers still come in, despite the shooting five years ago.
“I feel that Randy’s spirit will continue and his energy is in that salon,” said Lori Johns, a 20-year client of the salon.
“I think it was important to reopen it in honor of those who lost their lives,” Johns said. “Randy was ... wonderful ... and so is Sandy — there is just that special energy there.”
Seal Beach Councilman David Sloan, who was out of town with the mayor when the shooting happened, said he keeps the victims in his thoughts.
“We all rushed back as fast as we could, but when we got back, things were under control then,” Sloan said. “Police officers had the suspect under control ... and surrounding agencies came and helped us.
“Five years have gone by so fast, and, of course, we still grieve with those who lost loved ones. But I’m really proud the way our city responded.”
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