LOS ANGELES, Dec 26: A man dressed in a Santa Claus costume burst into a Christmas Eve party at his former in-laws and opened fire, killing eight people before committing suicide, US officials said on Friday.

Bruce Pardo, 45, who reportedly had been embroiled in a bitter divorce with his ex-wife, knocked on the door of her parents’ home in the quiet Los Angeles suburb of Covina and launched the assault just before midnight, police lieutenant Pat Buchanan said.

An eight-year-old girl who answered the door was shot in the face before Pardo stormed the home in Covina, 23 37kilometers east of Los Angeles, and began spraying revellers with bullets fired from a semi-automatic handgun.

After partygoers fled the scene, Pardo torched the house with a bizarre home-made incendiary device before making his getaway.

Pardo’s body was found with self-inflicted gunshot wounds early on Thursday, a few hours after the rampage, police said.—AFP