Suspected Santa Shooter Had Bomb, $10K in Cash

Police Suspect Bruce Pardo Entered Ex-In-Laws' home, Killed 8, Burned Home and Later Took His Own Life
Investigators seeking further information about Pardo's motives have begun searching his home in the suburban Los Angeles community of Montrose.
Police say Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, dressed in a Santa Claus costume, opened fire inside a crowded Christmas Eve party before starting a fire at the Covina, Calif., home of his former in-laws.
Pardo was reportedly distraught over his recent divorce. Police have begun searching his home in the nearby Los Angeles community of Montrose, looking for more clues to a motive, The Associated Press reported today.
Police said witnesses told them Pardo began shooting as soon as the front door opened. "An 8-year-old female was running toward him at which time she was shot in the face," Lt. Pat Buchanan of the Covina Police Department said in a press conference. "He fired multiple rounds into the people attending the party and multiple people were struck."
When officers first arrived at the still-burning house, "they were met with a scene that was just indescribable," Police Chief Kim Raney said Wednesday.
They found three charrred bodies in the living room. Five more bodies were found later. None had been identified but Pardo's ex-wife and her parents are unaccounted for.