I was kind of feeling good about humanity on Christmas because of the anonymous donor who gave $1 mil. to some 200 people left homeless after an apartment fire in Burnsville, MN and then I read this. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28385277 Santa-suit gunman attacks party; at least 3 die More bodies may be in burned house; suspect found dead, police say COVINA, Calif. — A man dressed as Santa who had been having marital problems opened fire at a Christmas party, leaving more than three people dead in a home that then caught fire, authorities said. Hours later, police found the body of the suspect, Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, at the home of his brother early Thursday in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles. Police said he killed himself but would not say how. "He was going through some type of marital problems, and we believe that this residence is a relative's residence," Lt. Pat Buchanan said of the house that burned. Police initally said three people were dead in the shootings and fire late Wednesday. Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said Thursday that investigators sifting through the ashes of the house found "several" more bodies, but would not say how many. The bodies were too badly burned to immediately determine whether they died in the shootings or the fire, Winter said. "We have multiple bodies inside," Winter said. "They're extremely charred and burned." Spray of bullets The gunman arrived at the party in Covina late Wednesday and immediately opened fire with a handgun, Buchanan said. Witnesses told police that the man took off the Santa suit and left the scene of the burning house in street clothes. Winter said the search through the destroyed home would take at least until the end of the day. Jan Gregory, a neighbor, said about 25 people were at the party when the gunshots rang out and people started running by the house. She said she saw a teenage boy run from the house screaming, "They shot my family." Buchanan says three other people were injured. A woman in her 20s and an 8-year-old girl had gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening, and a third person had a broken ankle. Police received several 911 calls with reports of shots fired at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night, and were still hearing gunshots after they arrived and found the house in flames, Buchanan said. Home destroyed At first, firefighters were held back by police because shots were still being fired, though it may have been ammunition burning in the blaze, fire Captain Mike Brown said. Firefighters had extinguished the blaze by about 1:30 a.m. Thursday, fire Captain Mike Brown said. The two-story home on a cul-de-sac was destroyed in Covina, a quiet suburb 25 miles east of Los Angeles. "This neighborhood is really quiet," said Jeffrey Barrientos, who lives half a block from the house that burned. Barrientos said the neighborhood's residents were mostly retirees and elderly people.
Just saw it on the news and at least 6 people are confirmed dead Someone rung the doorbell and an 8 year old girl answered the door. Once she opened the door, she got shot in the face by that loser and starts randomly shooting at the other guest. Its was also confirmed that he recently got off a divorce and decided to raid his ex-wifes parents during christmas
UPDATE: COVINA, Calif. – Stinging from an acrimonious divorce, a man plotting revenge against his ex-wife dressed up like Santa, went to his former in-laws' Christmas Eve party and slaughtered at least eight people before killing himself hours later. Bruce Pardo's ex-wife and her parents were believed to be among the dead. Investigators planned to return to the scene Friday and sift through the ashes of the home, which Pardo set ablaze using a bizarre homemade device that sprayed flammable liquid. Pardo, 45, had no criminal record and no history of violence, according to police, but he was angry following last week's settlement of his divorce after a marriage that lasted barely a year. "It was not an amicable divorce," police Lt. Pat Buchanan said. Pardo chose to exact his revenge at the annual Christmas party his former in-laws held at their two-story home on a cul-de-sac in a quiet Covina neighborhood 25 miles east of Los Angeles. "Christmases were that special time of the year, it meant so much to them," Rosa Ordaz, a family friend of the victims, told KCBS-TV. In past years, a neighbor dressed as Santa Claus and entertained guests. But the neighbor had moved away and there was no Santa — until Pardo arrived around 11:30 p.m. The massacre began when an 8-year-old girl answered Pardo's knock at the door. Pardo, carrying what appeared to be a large present, pulled out a handgun and shot her in the face, then began shooting indiscriminately as about 25 partygoers tried to flee, police said at a news conference. A 16-year-old girl was shot in the back, and a 20-year-old woman broke her ankle when she escaped by jumping from a second-story window. Those two, and the 8-year-old, remained hospitalized Christmas Day. All were expected to recover. The gift-wrapped box Pardo was carrying actually contained a pressurized homemade device he used to spray a liquid that quickly sent the house up in flames. Police said Pardo had recently worked is the aerospace industry. David Salgado, a neighbor, said he saw the 8-year-old victim being escorted to an ambulance by four SWAT team members as flames up to 40 feet high consumed the house. "It was really ugly," Salgado said. Another neighbor, Jan Gregory, said she saw a teenage boy flee the home, screaming, "`They shot my family.'" When the fire was extinguished early Thursday, officers found three charred bodies in the living room area. "They were met with a scene that was just indescribable," police Chief Kim Raney said. Investigators found five more bodies amid the ashes later in the day and planned to return Friday to continue looking. None of the dead or missing has been identified. Authorities were unable to immediately determine whether the victims were killed by the flames or the gunfire. Following the shootings, Pardo quickly got out of the Santa suit and drove off, witnesses told police. He went to his brother's home about 25 miles away in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles. No one was home, so Pardo let himself in, police said. Police were called to the home early Thursday, and officers found Pardo dead of a single bullet to the head. Two handguns were found at the scene, and two more were discovered in the wreckage of his former in-laws' house. A car that Pardo apparently parked near his brother's home exploded Thursday evening and more ammunition was found in it, Los Angeles police Sgt. Francisco Wheeling said. She had no immediate details on what set off the explosion. No one was hurt. Investigators seeking further information about Pardo's motives have begun searching his home in the suburban Los Angeles community of Montrose. Pardo's next-door neighbor, who did not want her name published to protect her privacy, said he moved in more than a year ago with a woman and a child. She said they kept mostly to themselves and the woman later moved out with the child. Pardo was often seen walking a dog around the neighborhood and working on his lawn, the neighbor said. He also served regularly as an usher at evening Mass at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montrose, the Los Angeles Times reported. Jan Detanna, the head usher at the church, was stunned when told about the violence. "I'm just — this is shocking," Detanna told the Times. "He was the nicest guy you could imagine. Always a pleasure to talk to, always a big smile." Bong Garcia, another of Pardo's next-door neighbors, told the Times he saw Pardo between 9 and 10 p.m. Christmas Eve and spoke briefly to him. Pardo told him he was on his way to a Christmas party, Garcia said.
I know this is a terrible story and everything, but that guy is a complete bad ass. A homemade device used to squirt a flammable liquid? That's some Joker stuff. If I saw the scene of him opening the door and shooting the little girl in a movie, I would have probably cracked up.
As the father of 7- and 9-YO daughters I have to wonder what kind of creep doesn't just shove an 8-YO out of the way before going after his targets...
I think anyone there including the 8 year old was his target. I don't think there is anyway to understand something like this. It is evil and madness.
wow this is the town right next to one one I grew up in. I know that area where it all happened. Man that is just terrible just hearing reports about it. Man I wish that the guy didnt kill himself and went to jail so he really would get what he deserves from the other inmates
What other explanation could there be other than he got screwed on the relationship/divorce (it reads like) and he snapped? He obviously wasn't man enough to live with it. He was a weak person...no matter what anyone says. He couldn't handle one of the bitter realities of life. I am really curious to read what the divorce settlement details are but that info probably won't come out. Did he really get screwed? Or, was this just a bitter man who got married/divorced in less than a year...maybe thinking his in-laws had said some things about him or conspired with his ex-wife...one big conspiracy against him. Who knows what this sicko was thinking? He shot kids. There is no excuse for that. I guess by doing that...one might think he was insane at the time of his actions but...who knows? Maybe just a bitter d*ckhead out for vengeance against anyone associated with that side of the family?
Who knows what goes through a madman's mind but there were 20 some odd people there and many escaped. How silly I am to expect a lunatic to have some judgement as he goes on a suicidal killing spree...
Here's some more terrible details of this incident. Apparently this was well planned and the man even had an escape plan. He had even booby trapped his car to possibly either or both destroy evidence or hurt investigators. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28385277/ Santa-suit killer lost job, wife before attack Cops say gunman killed himself after murderous Christmas Eve rampage COVINA, Calif. - Bruce Pardo's ambitions rarely panned out quite as he envisioned. He lost his electrical engineering job. His marriage ended after two years. Even his planned getaway to Canada after a murderous rampage at his former in-laws' house ended instead in his suicide after he badly burned himself while torching the house. The 45-year-old Pardo, accused of killing nine people and injuring three others, wasn't well-known by neighbors, who described him as a quiet man. Friends said he volunteered as a church usher. But on Christmas Eve, police said he wreaked unimaginable havoc when he showed up at a party at his ex-wife's parents' home dressed as Santa Claus, leaving behind charred corpses and endless questions. "It's a shock to everybody that knew him," said Jan Detanna, head usher at the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montrose, where Pardo volunteered. "You just don't know what's going on sometimes." Some described Pardo as a big man with a firm handshake who seemed upbeat and doted on a big, brown Akita he owned with his former wife. Police said Friday that Pardo ditched his plan to flee to Canada after suffering burns in the attack on the home in Covina, 25 miles east of Los Angeles. He was later found dead, a plane ticket and cash strapped to his body, and parts of his Santa costume fused to his skin. Frantic 911 call Officials also released a 911 call filled with frantic appeals for help. "My mom's house is on fire!" said a caller phoning from a neighbor's house. "He's still shooting at them!" Emerging details indicated Pardo devised an extensive plan to destroy his ex-wife's family after a costly divorce that was finalized last week, just months after losing his aerospace job. The fire was so intense that no bodies were identified because of charring, but police Lt. Tim Doonan said all were Pardo's former relatives. He declined to say whether his ex-wife and her parents were among them, but said they were unaccounted for. The victims were believed to range in age from 17 to 80. Police Chief Kim Raney said "he stood over them and shot them execution-style." Armed with four guns, wearing the Santa suit and carrying a fuel-spraying device wrapped like a present, Pardo showed up at the home at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday as a party of about 25 people was under way. Raney said Pardo fired a shot into the face of an 8-year-old girl who answered the door and at first fired indiscriminately, then apparently targeted relatives of his ex-wife as other guests fled. The girl survived. Attacker suffers third-degree burns Pardo retreated to the front door and retrieved a device that mixed carbon dioxide or oxygen with high-octane racing fuel. Fleeing guests saw him spraying the fuel inside the house when the vapor was ignited, possibly by a pilot light or a candle, and exploded. "Mr. Pardo was severely injured during that explosion," Raney said. "He suffered third-degree burns on both arms and it also appears that the Santa Claus suit that he was wearing did melt onto his body." Pardo then drove to his brother's home in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles, broke in and shot himself in the head. His brother discovered the body early Thursday. Pardo had an airline ticket for a Christmas morning flight to Canada and $17,000 in cash on his body, some attached to his legs with Saran Wrap and some in a girdle, the chief said. Before the suicide, Pardo used remnants of the Santa suit to booby-trap his rental car to explode, the chief said. Raney said Pardo wired the suit so when it was lifted it "would pull a trip wire or a switch, ignite a flare inside the car that would then ignite black powder and he had several hundred rounds of handgun ammunition inside the car." The device went off as a bomb squad worked to disarm it Thursday but no one was hurt. Records detail bitter split A search of Pardo's own home in Montrose, a suburb northeast of Los Angeles, turned up racing fuel, five empty boxes for high-powered semi-automatic handguns and two high-powered shotguns. The police chief said Pardo had no military experience, and in a resume he claimed to have a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering. Court records show Pardo's ex-wife, Sylvia Pardo, 43, filed for a dissolution of marriage on March 24, 2008, and they were legally separated after about two years of marriage. The two reached a settlement on Dec. 18. Bruce Pardo owed her $10,000 as part of the settlement, according to court documents that detailed a bitter split. He also lost a dog he doted upon and did not get back a valuable wedding ring. "No counseling or delay could help restore this marriage," the settlement stated. "There are irreconcilable differences which have led to the complete breakdown of the marriage." The couple had no children together, but Bruce Pardo had a son from a previous relationship who had "some challenges," Raney said without elaboration. "I'm not sure he was supporting the child but he does have at least one child," he said. ‘Desperately seeking’ work Bruce Pardo had been employed at ITT Electronic Systems, Radar Systems, in Van Nuys from February 2005 to July 2008, according to court documents. Raney, however, said Pardo was terminated in October, and according to family members disappeared for a month while possibly traveling to the Midwest or East Coast before returning this month. Pardo's resume also claimed he worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1985-1994, the police chief said. The lab could not confirm the claim Friday. Bruce Pardo wrote in a legal declaration that he was laid off in July and had been denied state unemployment payments in August. He said he was "desperately seeking" work with many companies. "I was not given a severance package from my last employer at termination and I am not receiving any other income. I am desperately seeking work and have since applied to many companies, resulting in several job interviews," he wrote. "I ask for support just until I gain employment." Bruce Pardo complained in a court declaration that Sylvia Pardo was living with her parents, not paying rent, and had spent lavishly on a luxury car, gambling trips to Las Vegas, meals at fine restaurants, massages and golf lessons. Documents from the divorce show Bruce Pardo got their house, which was valued at more than $500,000, but the couple only had $106,000 in equity in it. The mortgage was $2,700 a month, a declaration said. He complained in a filing that he had monthly expenses of $8,900 and ran a monthly deficit of $2,678. In June, the court ordered him to pay $1,785 a month in spousal support and put him on a payment plan of $450 a month for $3,570 that was unpaid. ‘Always pleasant and cheerful’ His attorney, Stanley Silver, told The Associated Press his client had trouble making the support payments after he lost his job in July, but spousal support was waived in the settlement last week. Bruce Pardo was trying to pay $10,000 to finalize the divorce proceedings, Silver said, and he never showed any anger or instability. "All of my dealings with him were always pleasant and cheerful," said Silver, who heard from him last on Tuesday. Pardo's neighbor, George Tataje, 39, said his dog and Pardo's Akita would play together at a park, but he didn't speak to him much. Other neighbors frequently saw him working on his lawn and walking his dog. At his home in Montrose, Christmas lights decorated the roof and plastic nutcracker soldiers and striped candy canes were attached to a fence that edged a neatly trimmed lawn. ‘It was really ugly’ Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center spokeswoman Adelaida De La Cerda said the 8-year-old girl who was shot in the face was released from the hospital Friday. Her mother had been at the hospital and was "extremely traumatized," De La Cerda said. Her cousin, a 16-year-old girl brought in for observation, had superficial injuries and was released Thursday. The teenager's mother was Bruce Pardo's ex-wife, De La Cerda said. Also injured was a woman who broke her ankle when jumping from a second-story window. David Salgado, a neighbor, said he saw the 8-year-old victim being escorted to an ambulance by four SWAT officers as fire devoured the house. He identified the owners of the home as Sylvia Pardo's parents, Joseph and Alicia Ortega. "It was really ugly," Salgado said.
