On the Christmas eve of 2008, 45-year-old Bruce Pardo came to the family party of his ex-wife, Sylvia Ortega in Los Angeles dressed as Santa Claus. Everyone was excited when they saw the Santa Claus until he unwrapped his “gift”.
The beautifully wrapped Christmas present contained about four automatic short guns, loads of ammunitions and a cleverly constructed gasoline dispenser. As soon as he entered, the first child that ran to him was shot in the face.
Image: Top-Bruce Prado and his improvised gasoline dispenser. The Ortega family, and the razed family house
Bruce opened fire on the family members, some escaped with injuries, but the core family members which included his ex-wife, mother-in-law, father-in-law, three sister-in-laws, two brother-in-laws were all killed, some in execution style, a child also died in the fire.
He unlocked the air-condenser he attached to a gasoline cylinder which distributed the gasoline to the house, 80 firefighters spent close to two hours trying to put out the fire.
Prior to this attack, Bruce had finalized his divorce with Sylvia who called their marriage quits after she discovered he had a child from a previous relationship. Unhappy with the outcome of the divorce and riddled with the feeling of being cheated he decided to get back to the family in the most painful way. Nine lives were lost and 13 children left as orphans.
He made his way to his brother’s house where he shot himself in the head.
Bruce Jeffrey Pardo- Fake Santa that Killed People
In Covina, a community in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California, the Covina Massacre took place on December 24, 2008. There were nine deaths.
The attacker, Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, who had come into the residence dressed as Santa.
He approached the front door of a suburban home and knocked while wearing his customary red and white clothing. Children inside a party that was already in progress screamed "Santa! Santa!" when the door opened, he walked in carrying a huge nicely wrapped "present".
When 8-year-old Katrina Yuzefpolsky ran to greet him, Santa had already removed two handguns from his trousers and shot her in the face.
This Santa Claus didn't come to cheer them up. That evening, there was only one gift that needed to be given: retaliation against his ex-wife, his former in-laws, and anybody else who stood in his way.
One partygoer soon realised that Santa was 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, the recently divorced husband Sylvia Ortega Pardo. He opened fire on the Ortega family as they attempted to flee and take cover after shooting his niece in the face. That evening, nine people died in what became known as the "Santa Shooting Spree."
As the dust settled in the days after the massacre, it was claimed that the Pardos' marriage had crumbled after Sylvia discovered that Bruce had a secret disabled child who he had cut ties with.
Following the shootings, Pardo opened the compressor's container and sprayed gasoline into the house to set it on fire.
Three people were injured, including Yuzefpolsky, who was shot in the face and suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, a 16-year-old girl who was shot and wounded in the back, and a 20-year-old woman who broke her ankle after jumping out of the second-floor window. Nine people died as a result of the gunfire or the flames.
During the attack, one survivor went to a neighbor's house, where they phoned the police.
It took 80 firefighters an hour and a half to completely put out the ensuing fire, which reached heights of 12 to 15 meters. Due to the severity of the fire, dental and medical data were used to identify the victims.
After starting the fire in the house, Pardo changed into street clothes and traveled in his Dodge Caliber rental car to his brother's home in Sylmar, which is roughly 30 miles from the scene of the crime. There, he was subsequently discovered dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
At the time of Pardo's passing, his brother wasn't at home. Since Pardo had purchased a ticket for a flight on Air Canada, it was initially assumed that he meant to avoid capture by traveling by plane to Canada.
However, Pardo opted to deviate from the original plan after sustaining serious third-degree burns on his arms from the fire.
His brother was not at home at the time but police later found Pardo's body, and $17,000 strapped to his leg. He had died from a self inflicted gunshot wound.
The police continued to inspect Pardo's property and discovered what they called a "virtual bomb factory" disguised as a Santa's Grotto. There were numerous firearms, shotguns, high-octane fuel tanks, and other weapons inside his house that could have wreaked much more horrific Christmas slaughter and devastation.
One reporter at the time stated: "Bruce Pardo was crushed by this divorce. He grew fixated with it. Bruce then started to plan revenge against Sylvia. I believe he made the decision to take everything she loved and wipe it from the face of the world in addition to killing her.
Victims
Sylvia Ortega Pardo- ex-wife
Alicia Sotomayor Orteg-----Sylvia's mother
Joseph S. Ortega ----- Sylvia's father
Charles Ortega--------Sylvia's brother
Cheri Lynn Ortega----Sylvia's sister
James Ortega----------Sylvia's brother
Teresa Ortega----------Sylvia's sister
Alicia Ortega Ortiz-----Sylvia's sister
Michael Andre Ortiz---nephew
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