Covina police have released a chilling 11 minute 911 call in the moments immediately following Bruce Pardo’s murderous rampage through the home of his former in-laws on Knollcrest in Covina.

A woman named Leticia describes her daughter’s injury as a gunshot wound to the face. She also identifies the shooter as likely being Bruce Pardo.

Leticia made the call and described the moments just after Parso barged into her parents house and began shooting. We’ll have the tape up as soon as possible.

 Here’s the 911 call

*We had some technical difficulties running the Covina police press conference live. Here’s a videotape of the event:

At a 2 p.m. press conference Covina police Chief Kim Raney assembled a portrait of Bruce Pardo that seemed to indicate his attack was carefully planned.

Pardo and his wife Sylvia had settled a contentious divorce just last Thursday, Raney said.

Here’s some excerpts from Raney’s briefing:

At 11:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the family in the Knollcrest home had gathered for their annual Christmas party.

Pardo, driving a small, compact car parked at a neighbor’s home. Wearing a Santa suit, Pardo approached the home with a homemade flame thrower that utilized oxygen or CO2 and racing fuel.

Pardo gained entry to the house and was approached by an 8-year-old girl who thought she was greeting Santa.

“He shot her in the face,” Raney said.

Pardo was armed with four handguns. All were emptied in the commission of the crime.

Pardo shot indiscriminately, Raney said.

There were intended targets in the home, among them Pardo’s ex wife and in-laws.

The explosion that resulted from Pardo’s homemade device caused him to have 3rd degree burns on both arms. The Santa suit melted to his body, Raney said.

He then drove to Sylmar and took his own life.

Investigators found $17,000 in case saranwrapped to Pardo’s leg. He also had a plane ticket for a flight from LAX to Canada.

“He didn’t anticipate being injured,” Raney said.

Pardo  worked at JPL in the 80s and 90s. He was recently laid off from a job elsewhere. Following the layoff, Pardo left the area and may have traveled to the midwest or east coast.

It is unclear how long he had planned the crime spree.

There was no restraining order in the divorce case, Raney said.

Pardo had no military experience.

A resume found at his Montrose home indicated Pardo claimed to have both a BA and MA in Electrical Engineering.

Ed Winter, speaking for the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner said that nine bodies recovered int he home were burned and charred and “not recognizable.”

“We haven’t determined if the cause of death was due to a gunshot wound or becaseu of the fire.”

Here’s a link to a page that may be Sylvia Orza-Ortega’s profile on Classmates.com

She apparently attended Royal Oak High School in Covina and/or Cantwell Sacred Heart.

Here’s a wiki entry for Covina which mentions the high school and some famous alums.

The Covina PD will hold a press conference updating with information from their investigation into the Christmas Eve massacre.

We’ll carry a live feed here and on the SGVN website. Details to come.

There are published reports via the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times that a ninth body was found at the Knollcrest home where Bruce Pardo, 45, dressed as Santa and systematically massacred guests at the home of his former inlaws on Christmas Eve.

Neither story cites a named source, although nine people who attended the party remain unaccounted for, police said.

We haven’t been able to confirm those reports through police or the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.

Also Pardo worked at Northrup Grumman, not JPL, and had been fired several weeks ago.

The Times story has some interesting details about Pardo and the divorce from his wife Sylvia. Including information about a secret child that divided the couple.

Friends of Bruce Pardo are telling our reporters that the man who donned a Santa suit before killing as many as nine people in a Covina home was distraught over losing his job.

He may also have been distraught after his mother’s home was among several trailers lost in the Sylmar fire in November.