Suspected 'Santa' Shooter Planned Escape to Canada

Dec. 27, 2008 — -- The man suspected in the Christmas Eve massacre that left nine dead and a house in flames in Covina, Calif., intended to escape to Canada following the attack but settled on suicide after suffering severe burns in the fire, police said in a news conference Friday.

When he was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head in his brother's home, alleged gunman Bruce Pardo had $17,000 plastic-wrapped to his legs or in a girdle he was wearing, along with a plane ticket for an early morning flight to Canada.

He had suffered third degree burns on both arms, and pieces of the Santa suit he wore during the slaughter were melted to the skin on his legs.

"All indications were that he was going to commit this crime and flee the country. He didn't anticipate injuring himself," Covina Police Chief Kim Raney said.

Despite his injuries, Pardo intended to cause more destruction after the brutal attack and, after shedding his Santa suit during his escape, wired the suit with an explosive device, Raney said. That device was ignited when the bomb squad attempted to defuse it. No one was injured in the blast.

Police believe Pardo was distraught over the recent settlement of his divorce and was intentionally targeting members of his ex-wife's family in the attack.

Police have not released the identities of the victims recovered from the burned home pending further attempts at confirming their identities because they were, according to Ed Winter of the L.A. County Coroner's Office, "burned and charred to the point that they aren't recognizable."

At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, police believe Pardo, dressed as Santa Claus, rang the doorbell of his ex-in-law's home in Covina. When an 8-year-old girl answered the door, Pardo shot her in the face before opening fire on at least two dozen other partygoers.

In a 911 call released Friday, a frantic woman named Pardo as the shooter and said that after he appeared in the doorway in Santa Claus garb brandishing handguns, everyone was "panicking, running."

"His name is Bruce Pardo," she said between shallow, quick breaths. "He's still shooting out there."

Click here to hear the 911 call.