Suspected Santa gunman takes life; 3 others dead

Authorities had been searching for Bruce Jeffery Pardo, 45, after a man dressed as Santa Claus showed up and started shooting at a party at a house in Covina, California.

Pardo's body was discovered at a relative's home in the nearby suburb of Sylmar, and authorities have made a positive identification, said Lt. Pat Buchanan of the Covina Police Department. Buchanan said Pardo was the prime suspect in the Christmas Eve shooting.

Police believe the residence where the shootings occurred belongs to another of Pardo's relatives, Buchanan said. The house was burning when police arrived.

Three people were found dead inside. Police have not said how they died or released their identities.

An 8-year-old girl and a woman in her 20s were hospitalized with gunshot wounds that authorities do not consider life-threatening.

Crews took a third person to a hospital with an injury that wasn't life-threatening and wasn't caused by gunfire, said police in Covina, a city about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

The shooting started around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.

"There was some source of ignition that caused the fire," Buchanan said. "We've not been able to identify it yet."

Authorities said Pardo's name was given to them by people who were at the party. Pardo was "going through some type of marital problems," Buchanan said.

According to police, the gunman changed out of the Santa suit and into regular clothes before leaving

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