Gunman kills 8 at southern California beauty salon

[News_Editor]

Gunman kills 8 at southern California beauty salon

2011-10-13 07:18:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

SEAL BEACH, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) -- Eight people were killed on early Wednesday afternoon when a gunman stormed a beauty salon in southern California and opened fire, police said. A suspect has been arrested.

The shooting occurred just before 1:30 p.m. local time at the Salon Meritage near the Pacific Coast Highway in Seal Beach, a city in Orange County just across the border with Los Angeles County.

Seal Beach Police Department Sargent Steve Bowles said officers responded to the salon and discovered six bodies inside, while three others were critically injured and transported to a local hospital. Two of the victims later died of their injuries, raising the death toll to eight.

Shortly after the mass shooting, the alleged shooter was arrested about half a mile (0.8 kilometer) away from the scene of the shooting after police identified the shooter's vehicle as it was leaving the salon. His identity was not immediately released.

According to Bowles, police followed the shooter, stopped the vehicle and arrested the suspect without incident. In addition, he said the shooter was cooperative and did not resist arrest. However, several weapons were found inside his vehicle.

The victims included both employees and customers, according to police, but their identities have not yet been released. The reason behind the shooting also remains uncertain as investigations continue.

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