![]() The family was often seen walking their dog in the neighborhood. Neighbors said that Pardo had lived in the house with his wife, Sylvia, 43, and her three children for a few years, until she and the children moved out last spring. He “was apparently going through a bad time in his marriage,” Covina Police Lt. Court records show that his wife divorced him last September. Recently, Pardo had been living in the Montrose home alone, said Det. Buchanan, a 30-year police veteran, said the tank Pardo used in the attack was “nothing that we or the arson team had ever seen.” More than two hours later, officers carried away four shotguns, a handgun, wrapping paper and a fuel tank like the one Pardo used in the attack.Ī label on the red tank read, “,” the website of a company that specializes in fueling devices for all-terrain vehicles. In midafternoon, authorities approached the house with guns drawn, shouting, “We’re police! We have a search warrant!” When no one responded, they used a battering ram to get in. A wreath was hung on the front door and candy canes adorned the fence.Īn SUV and a military-style Hummer were parked in the driveway. When arriving officers ran Pardo’s name through a law-enforcement database, they were alerted that he was wanted by Covina police.īy 9 a.m., a pair of Covina detectives had arrived at Pardo’s tan stucco house in Montrose and cordoned it off with tape. Shortly before 3:30 a.m., the brother summoned Los Angeles police, saying he had come home to find Pardo dead with a gunshot wound to the head. Pardo had left the scene quickly, driving to his brother’s house about 40 miles away in Sylmar. The second floor of the house fell to the ground. About 80 firefighters battled the blaze for an hour and a half before extinguishing it, said Los Angeles County Fire Capt. In Covina, police kept firefighters at bay as flames engulfed the house, believing the gunman might still be in the area. By late Thursday night, authorities weren’t even close to identifying all the victims, although his former wife and her parents are thought to have been killed. It revealed a divorce, the flammable device like the one Pardo took into the Covina home - police said they’d never seen anything like it - and incredulous reactions from people who knew Pardo as a reliable church usher and good, but quiet, neighbor. The investigation, which began quickly and continued into Christmas Day, led to two other Southern California homes: Pardo’s and his brother’s, where Pardo was found dead. Overall, homicides have remained at relatively low levels compared to previous years. It was thought to be the worst single killing spree in the county this year.
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