Christmas horror: A man disguised as Santa Claus arrived at a family gathering. where he slaughtered a family and shot an eight-year-old daughter in the face, bringing terror rather than joy.
Joseph “Papa Joe” Ortega was playing Texas Hold 'Em with his wife and kids at their Covina, California, residence after enjoying a Christmas Eve dinner.
According to Mirror UK, Michael,17, was sitting at his computer upstairs when fate struck. Upon opening the door, the young girl exclaimed with excitement, “Santa Claus! Santa Claus!” when she saw what appeared to be St. Nick holding an extremely enormous gift that was ostensibly a homemade flamethrower.
The imposter Santa first shot Katrina Uzefpolsky and then pointed the gun towards two more uncles. The Ortegas along with the gunman's ex-wife and three daughters huddled behind the dining table for shelter, but to no effect.
Bruce Jeffrey Pardo killed Mr. and Mrs. Ortega, four of their children, two daughters-in-law, and Michael.
‘They tried to grab him, to stop him,’ Ortega's relative speaks out
While relatives in the US and Mexico gave heartbreaking testimonies, which were verified by law enforcement sources close to the inquiry, but survivors have remained silent, as per the report. A passerby exclaimed in surprise, “It's Bruce!” after Pardo ruthlessly shot his niece and her dad James.
{{/usCountry}}While relatives in the US and Mexico gave heartbreaking testimonies, which were verified by law enforcement sources close to the inquiry, but survivors have remained silent, as per the report. A passerby exclaimed in surprise, “It's Bruce!” after Pardo ruthlessly shot his niece and her dad James.
{{/usCountry}}Charles Ortega was also shot after James was attacked. Despite being deeply wounded, their cousin Irmia Chapa Ortega, who lives in Torreon, Mexico, talked about their courageous response. “Even bloodied, they got up, they stood up. They tried to grab him, to stop him. But they couldn't,” he recalled.
After revealing a homemade flamethrower veiled inside what looked like a gift, Pardo proceeded to spray racing fuel gasoline everywhere in the house, igniting it.
Christmas horror: Gunman disguised as Santa kills nine
Nine people were killed from gunshots or the ensuing fire, and three more were injured as the rampage came to a tragic end.
Pardo changed his outfit after the horrifying attack and took his rental car to his brother's house in Sylmar, which was about thirty miles away. He later committed a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was discovered dead.
Initially, it was thought that Pardo had purchased a ticket on Air Canada as he intended to escape to Canada. The trip was, however, eventually revealed to be from Los Angeles, California, to Moline, Illinois, with a stopover in Minnesota.
Pardo's bitter breakup with Sylvia
Pardo's bitter breakup with Sylvia was the main cause of his heinous Christmas rage. It is believed that Sylvia's discovery of Pardo's hidden deformed child, whom he had abandoned, caused their marriage to fail.
Tension also increased when Pardo objected to the concept of sharing a bank account, presuming Sylvia would be responsible for providing for her three kids on her own. A judge mandated that Pardo pay $1,785 per month in spousal maintenance during their divorce proceedings in June 2008.