Man dressed as Santa Claus kills at least three at LA Christmas Party

A man dressed as Santa Claus has killed at least three people at a Christmas Party in Los Angeles before killing himself.

Bruce Jeffrey Pardo attended the Christmas Eve party in Covida, Los Angeles around 11:30pm Christmas Eve. The party was being held at the brother of his ex-wife, and being dressed as Santa he was invited into the party as it was thought he’d been hired to entertain the children.

Pardo immediately opened fire on being let into the house, injuring an undetermined number of people, including children. Unconfirmed reports have his ex-wife among the victims. Complicating matters, Pardo also torched the house, burning it to the ground.

The LA Times reports that witnesses said there was “several” more bodies found in the wreckage than the initial count of three. A LA Police spokesman could not confirm those reports, saying only that some people thought to have attended the party remained unaccounted for and that “there is a good possibility that there are other people inside.”