Santa Gunman Planned to Flee to Canada

The gunman dressed as Santa Claus who killed nine people Christmas Eve at a family party before turning the gun on himself had reportedly planned to escape to Canada, according to authorities.

Investigators looking into the mass murder at the house on Knollcrest Drive in Covina say that Bruce Jeffrey Pardo, 45, was going to flee to Canada.

Police reported they discovered $17,000 in cash on Pardo and a plane ticket for a Dec. 25 flight departing from LAX to Canada. According to officials, Pardo was severely burned when he set the house on fire. He was found with 3rd degree burns to his arms and legs with the Santa suit burned into his skin. Police found Pardo dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his brother's home in Sylmar.

Police report Pardo apparently shot some of his nine victims execution-style in a plot to destroy his ex-wife's family after a costly divorce that was just finalized in the last week.

Several people who survived the attack were wounded and are in the hospital recovering from their injuries.

Pardo's ex-wife, 43-year-old Sylvia Ortega, and her parents, Joseph and Alicia Ortega, are considered among the dead, but the ensuing fire that Pardo set is making it difficult to identify bodies.

Gunman Dressed as Santa Claus Kills 8 in Covina

Police in Covina say the death toll now stands at eight following a shooting rampage and fire at a house Christmas Eve.

According to authorities, the gunman, who showed up at a house party dressed as Santa Claus, opened fire, then set the house ablaze. Police are still searching for the couple who owned the home and the alleged gunman's former wife.

Police report that the primary suspect, 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo (pictured), took his life earlier this morning at his brother's residence in Sylmar. According to police, Pardo reportedly had marital problems and his estranged wife or members of her family may have been in attendance at the party.

Due to the fire, authorities said identifying the bodies was difficult.