By Calvin Palmer
A Christmas Eve party at a home in the Los Angeles suburb of Covina turned to carnage when a gunman dressed as Santa Claus turned up at the front door and burst through the house firing indiscriminately at the 25 guests.
He carried a “present,” which turned out to be a flammable liquid contained in a pressurized fuel tank. Guests fled in panic as the house on Knollcrest Drive was quickly engulfed in flames. They ran to neighbors who called 911.
The gunman gained access to the house when an eight-year-old girl answered the door. He shot her in the face and then began the shooting spree. Eight people were killed.
The eight-year-old girl and another girl,16, who was shot in the back, survived and were taken to hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, police say.
The attack was Bruce Pardo’s revenge against his ex-wife after a year of marriage ended in an acrimonious divorce. It took place at her parents’s home. His ex-wife and both of his in-laws – Joseph Ortega, 80, and Alicia Ortega, 70 — are listed as missing and thought to be among the dead.
Police said it was impossible to tell how many of the victims died from gunshot wounds or from the fire. “They are too badly burned and will have to be identified by dental records,” Lt. Pat Buchanan of Covina Police Department said.
About 80 firefighters battled the blaze for half an hour, according to Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Mike Brown. Police had initially kept them at bay believing the gunman might still be in the area.
But Pardo had left the scene and drove to his brother’s house in Sylmar, 40 miles away. At 3:30 a.m., the brother called Los Angeles police to tell them that he had come home and found Pardo dead with a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation on Christmas Day focused on Pardo’s home in Montrose. A festive wreath adorned the front door and the fence was decorated with candy canes. An SUV and military-style Hummer were parked in the driveway.
Pardo had been living alone, said Det. Antonio Zavala. Court records showed that his wife divorced him last September.
Neighbors said Pardo had lived in the house with his wife Sylvia, 43, and her three children for a few years until she had moved out in the spring.
Pardo was described by neighbors as a quiet unassuming man who enjoyed tending his garden and regularly served as an usher at evening Mass at Holy Redeemer Church.
Jan Detanna, head usher at the church, said: “This is shocking. He was the nicest guy you could imagine. Always a pleasure to talk to, always a big smile.”
Next door neighbor Bong Garcia said he saw Pardo between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Pardo, dressed in regular clothes, told him that he was on his way to a party.
The drama continued to unfold last night when police found a suspicious package in the rental car Pardo has used. As they attempted to make the object safe, the car burst into flames, said Sgt. James Bender of Los Angeles Police.
Later, police evacuated houses close to Pardo’s home in Montrose, fearing that he might have left behind bombs.
[Based on reports by the Los Angeles Times and The Times.]
1 Comment
December 27, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Mr. Pardo lashed out at those responsible for, and the enablers of, the Misandry Machine so prevalent in today’s society. My thoughts are for Mr. Pardo, and not anyone else. He was backed into a corner and he fought back. Good for him.
More men are waking up to the misandry. Mr. Pardo, you are my hero.