At least six people were killed after a man dressed as Santa Claus burst into a Christmas Eve party and opened fire before later killing himself, police said Thursday.
The body of Bruce Pardo (45) was found with self-inflicted gunshot wounds early on Thursday, hours after he had launched an assault on a party hosted by the parents of his ex-wife in the Los Angeles suburb of Covina, police said.
Pardo had knocked on the door of the home in a quiet residential neighborhood in Covina, 37km east of Los Angeles, just before midnight on Christmas Eve, police lieutenant Pat Buchanan said.
An eight-year-old girl who answered the door was shot in the face but survived before Pardo stormed into the home and began spraying revelers with bullets with a semi-automatic handgun.
After partygoers fled the scene, Pardo torched the house with a bizarre home-made incendiary device before making his getaway.
”We actually believe he was attempting to create an aerosol or some kind of fume that would ignite later,” Buchanan said.
Pardo was found dead from a single gunshot to the head at his home in Sylmar, approximately 40km away, a few hours later, police said.
Police had received a series of emergency calls alerting them to the initial incident, and when they arrived, the house was engulfed in flames and guests were running out, Buchanan said.
Neighbours reported hearing a loud explosion before the blaze erupted.
Two girls, including the eight-year-old who answered the door, were hospitalised with gunshot wounds and a 13-year-old girl was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.
About 80 firefighters were deployed to tackle the fire that destroyed the house. Popping sounds — possibly ammunition rounds exploding — were heard throughout the blaze.
After the fire was extinguished, rescuers found three bodies in the basement, Buchanan said.
Buchanan told CBS2 television the shooting was ”extremely unusual and very shocking”, ”It’s just not something we see here at any time of the year — especially during Christmas,” he said.
Police were searching Pardo’s home on Thursday for clues to his bloody rampage.
”Maybe there’s some [sign of] planning, maybe letters or anything that will give us more clues about the state of his mind,” Detective Antonio Zavala was quoted as saying by the Los Angeles Times.
Acquaintances of Pardo were stunned by the former aerospace engineer’s rampage, according to the Times.
”I’m just — this is shocking,” said Jan Detanna, the head usher of Pardo’s church. ”He was the nicest guy you could imagine. Always a pleasure to talk to, always a big smile.” – AFP
