Santa Shooting Rampage: 9 Killed in Brutal Murder Suicide

COVINA, California (Covina injury lawyer, Michael Ehline Law)

Witnesses stated that a male suspect dressed in a Santa Claus suit, burst into a Covina home and blasted occupants with a firearm at close range, while the people in the home celebrated a Christmas Eve party. It is further alleged that Santa then threw Molotov Cocktails (A Russian form of Napalm in a bottle) into the Covina home in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California.

The Covina home then caught fire. At least three people were confirmed dead earlier in the day according to the Covina police.The death toll increased to seven dead as the search through the burned out home progressed for charred remains.  The death toll is now at nine.

The Santa impostor showed up at the Christmas party, began shooting the occupants with a handgun according to Covina police Lieutenant Pat Buchanan.

Officer Buchanan stated that at least three bodies were initially found when the fire was finally put out. It was later determined that the Santa used the fire bombs to ignite the fire.

Officer Buchanan also verified that three additional occupants of the burned home suffered personal injuries. These included a female, around 20 years of age, as well as an 8-year-old little girl. Both suffered non life threatening injuries from gunshot wounds. Another victim apparently had sustained a broken ankle during the Malay.

Covina Police have confirmed that the person of interest died in the inferno. His name, Jeffrey Pardo, 45 years of age. Officer Buchanan conformed that Mr. Pardo apparently had marital problems with a woman who was attending the Christmas party.

Covina Police had gotten many phone calls to the 911 phone center, that there were shots fired around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night. There were further reports that police heard gunshots and they arrived on scene. It is unknown if these were rounds cooking off in the arson house fire, or if the shooter was still blasting the occupants, as he was not captured and still though to have been at large.

Initially, the first responders and firefighters were not allowed to approach the inferno, since the sound of gunshots was still being heard on scene.

The fire was ultimately extinguished at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning, according to Covina fire Captain Mike Brown.

There was a lost of damage to the two-story house in the end of a cul-de-sac in Covina, a quiet suburb 40 kilometres east of Los Angeles.