In perhaps one of the most bizarre Christmas crimes on record, an estranged husband, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit, arrived at a gathering of his former wife's in-laws in Covina where he opened fire then set the house ablaze, killing at least eight people and injuring several others.As of this posting it's on The New York Times' home page and the most popular news story of the day on CNN's web site. The Los Angeles Times has been following the story closely as well.
The suspect, according to reports, was identified as 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, who later killed himself in front of his brother’s house in Sylmar, about 40 miles from the scene of the shootings, the police said.
Pardo reportedly arrived armed with cans of accelerant, and went to the house looking for his former wife, Sylvia, with whom he had been entangled in a bitter divorce.
This incident has nothing to do with Highland except we can count our blessings we aren't dealing with a spectacular crime of this magnitude in our community today. There's something beyond evil about this crime, where the perpetrator dressed as the ultimate seasonal symbol of trust, innocence and good will to gain entry into a private home where he was unwelcome and murder, yes murder, the guests at a family gathering.
What could possibly have inspired him to do this? How could things in this person's life have gone so wrong for him to get the idea this was an appropriate solution? Taking his own life in turn after wreaking such havoc was the coward's way out. I feel sorry for his family, friends, the victims and the communities where this occurred.
image: Covina Police
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