Saturday, December 27, 2008
Reported by: Justin Myers
Police in Southern California are still piecing together why a man dressed in a Santa suit opened fire inside a house on Christmas Eve and then set it ablaze.
Investigators say nine bodies were recovered from a house in Covina after the suspect, Bruce Pardo, unleashed a barrage of bullets.
Pardo was recently divorced from the homeowners' daughter. He used a homemade device to spread flammable vapors in the house which caused the fire.
Pardo was severely injured in the fire and was found dead from a self-inflicted gun shot wound at his brothers home in Sylmar.
Police have released the 911 tapes from that terrifying night.
Caller: He's shooting. He's shooting everyone! I need someone to come out so they can help my daughter. She's been bleeding. She got shot on the side of the face. Dispatcher: Do you know who it is? Caller: I don't know who this person is. Dispatcher: The guy that was shooting. Caller: I think its. We don't know. I couldn't recognize him. Dispatcher: What do you think his name is? Caller: His name is Bruce Pardo. Dispatcher: OK. And who is he to you guys? Caller: He is, he was, he's my ex-brother-in-law. He's still shooting.
Pardo's ex-wife and her parents are believed to be among the dead.
"All of the bodies are nonidentifiable at this time. We're going to need both medical X-rays and dental X-rays before we can make positive identification," said Ed Winter, Los Angeles County Coroner.
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"All of the bodies are nonidentifiable at this time. We're going to need both medical X-rays and dental X-rays before we can make positive identification," said Ed Winter, Los Angeles County Coroner.