LOS ANGELES, CA. -- A man dressed in a Santa suit went on a shooting rampage in California Wednesday evening. Investigators are sifting through the charred debris. Nine people have been found dead.
NBC's Jay Gray reports on the massacre:
"Our officers were on the scene within three minutes and as you can imagine they were met with a scene that was just indescribable," Covina Police Chief Kim Raney stated.
It apparently started with an 8 year old girl at a Christmas party answered a knock at the door. Investigators say 45 year old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo was on the other side, dressed in a Santa costume. He allegedly shot the girl in the face, then walked in and opened fire.
"It looks like he arrived with at least two handguns and this device that we have described that somehow propelled a flammable liquid throughout the downstairs area of the residence," Lt. Pat Buchannan of the Covina Police Department commented.
When it was over, at least 9 people were dead. Police believe Pardo's ex-wife and her parents are among the victims.
Just days earlier, Pardo had finalized a contentious divorce. Court documents show he lost the couple's dog and $10,000 in the settlement. Pardo apparently lost his job last July and was struggling financially.
Neighbors say they talked to Pardo just minutes before the attack. "It didn't seem like anything was on his mind. he just walked by and said merry christmas to both me and my cousin," one neighbor stated, shocked at the incident.
After the shooting spree and fire at the home of his former in-laws, officers say Pardo drove tohis brother's house 25 miles away, where he turned one of the guns on himself. "Upon arrival officers observed the victim a 45 year old male who had suffered a single gunshot wound to the head," Lt. Mario Munoz of the Los Angeles Police Department stated.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office says the fire was so intense, it could take several days to identify all of the victims from the attack.
