Several dead as Santa goes on rampage
A video image showing firefighters outside a blazing house in Covina, California, where a man dressed as Santa opened fire at a Christmas Eve party, leaving more than three people dead, and (inset) Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, the gunman.
December 26, 2008 - 9:23AM
A man dressed as Santa, who had been having marital problems, opened fire at a Christmas party, leaving more than three people dead and a house ablaze, authorities said.
The body of the suspect, Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, was found hours later at the home of his brother in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles.
Pardo had died from a single gunshot wound to the head, Los Angeles police Sergeant Martin Guerrero said.
Police said he was the estranged husband of a person who might have been at the party.
"He was going through some type of marital problems, and we believe that this residence is a relative's residence," Lieutenant Pat Buchanan said.
Police initally said three people were dead in the shootings and fire, which occurred late on Wednesday at the house in Covina, a quiet suburb 40 kilometres east of Los Angeles.
But Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said investigators sifting through the ashes had found "several" more bodies, but would not say how many.
The bodies were too badly burned to determine immediately whether the deaths were caused by the shootings or the fire, Mr Winter said.
"We have multiple bodies inside," he said. "They're extremely charred and burned."
The gunman arrived at the party late on Wednesday and immediately opened fire with a handgun, Lieutenant Buchanan said.
Witnesses told police that the man took off the Santa suit and left the burning house in street clothes.
Jan Gregory, a neighbour, said about 25 people were at the party when the gunshots rang out and people started running by the house.
She saw a teenage boy run from the house screaming: "They shot my family."
Lieutenant Buchanan said three people were injured. A woman in her 20s and an eight-year-old girl had gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening, and a third person had a broken ankle.
Police received several reports of shots fired late on Wednesday night and were still hearing gunshots after they arrived and found the house in flames, Buchanan said.
At first, firefighters were held back by police because shots were still being fired, though it might have been ammunition burning in the blaze, fire Captain Mike Brown said.
The two-storey home on a cul-de-sac was destroyed.
A video image showing firefighters outside a blazing house in Covina, California, where a man dressed as Santa opened fire at a Christmas Eve party, leaving more than three people dead, and (inset) Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, the gunman.
December 26, 2008 - 9:23AM
A man dressed as Santa, who had been having marital problems, opened fire at a Christmas party, leaving more than three people dead and a house ablaze, authorities said.
The body of the suspect, Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, was found hours later at the home of his brother in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles.
Pardo had died from a single gunshot wound to the head, Los Angeles police Sergeant Martin Guerrero said.
Police said he was the estranged husband of a person who might have been at the party.
"He was going through some type of marital problems, and we believe that this residence is a relative's residence," Lieutenant Pat Buchanan said.
Police initally said three people were dead in the shootings and fire, which occurred late on Wednesday at the house in Covina, a quiet suburb 40 kilometres east of Los Angeles.
But Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said investigators sifting through the ashes had found "several" more bodies, but would not say how many.
The bodies were too badly burned to determine immediately whether the deaths were caused by the shootings or the fire, Mr Winter said.
"We have multiple bodies inside," he said. "They're extremely charred and burned."
The gunman arrived at the party late on Wednesday and immediately opened fire with a handgun, Lieutenant Buchanan said.
Witnesses told police that the man took off the Santa suit and left the burning house in street clothes.
Jan Gregory, a neighbour, said about 25 people were at the party when the gunshots rang out and people started running by the house.
She saw a teenage boy run from the house screaming: "They shot my family."
Lieutenant Buchanan said three people were injured. A woman in her 20s and an eight-year-old girl had gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening, and a third person had a broken ankle.
Police received several reports of shots fired late on Wednesday night and were still hearing gunshots after they arrived and found the house in flames, Buchanan said.
At first, firefighters were held back by police because shots were still being fired, though it might have been ammunition burning in the blaze, fire Captain Mike Brown said.
The two-storey home on a cul-de-sac was destroyed.
