Thursday, December 25, 2008

COVINA, CA: BRUCE PARDO, SANTA, KILLS 6 AT PARTY, 3 MISSING

Covina Police Department via / AP
Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, the prime suspect in the Christmas Eve Santa-suit killings at a suburban L.A. home, killed himself Thursday, according to police.


FNC
Images from the scene of a deadly fire that claimed at least three lives in suburban Los Angeles on Christmas Eve.


This image from video shows firefighters outside a blazing house in Covina, Calif., late Wednesday, Dec. 24, where 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. (AP Photo/On Scene Video via AP))3:08 p.m. ET, 12/25/08

Hector Mata / AP
A Bomb Squad and Los Angeles County Sheriff official stand near a crime scene where a man in a Santa Claus costume killed at least six people during a Christmas party in Covina, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008. 6:36 p.m. ET, 12/25/08
Hector Mata /AP
Covina police Chief Kim Raney talks with reporters about a killing rampage at a Christmas party, during a news conference at the Covina Police Headquarters in Covina, Calif. Thursday, December 25, 2008. 6:30 p.m. ET
12/25/08

Man in Santa suit kills at least nine at Covina party, police say
By Ari B. Bloomekatz, Tami Abdollah and Joel Rubin 5:10 PM PST, December 25, 2008

A distraught man dressed as Santa Claus opened fire at a Christmas Eve party and then set the house ablaze, killing at least six people, police said. Several hours later, the shooter killed himself.

Three people who attended the party remained unaccounted for Thursday afternoon as coroner officials continued to search through the wreckage.

Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, who had recently been divorced and is believed to have lost his job, knocked on the front door of a home owned by the parents of his ex-wife in Covina around 11:30 Wednesday night, said Police Chief Kim Raney.

An 8-year-old girl ran to the door to answer Pardo's knock, police said. He shot her in the face, stepped into the house and began to fire indiscriminately with a semiautomatic handgun.

(snip)

The two-story house, located at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, was fully engulfed by fire, Los Angeles County fire officials said. About 80 firefighters were initially kept at bay by police who feared that the gunman was still in the area.

They battled flames that soared 40 to 50 feet high for an hour and a half before extinguishing the fire, according to Capt. Mike Brown. Amid the ruins, the second floor of the house had collapsed onto the ground.

2 comments:

Brian Elliott said...

Sometimes you have to wonder , what is this world coming to. This guy, Bruce Pardo went on a killing spree because of a divorce. This guy was just sick in the mind to begin with. Shooting innocent children that had nothing to do with his life. We really have some very sick people in this world. Can’t even attend a Christmas Eve party without fearing for your life.
http://realhotnewz.blogspot.com

Ruzanna said...

Bruce Pardo had carefully planned the scene of shooting and firing. i can imagine how insulted he was because of his divorce process.