“He shot my daughter in the face!”

On Christmas Eve 2008, just before midnight, 911 operators scramble as every phone rings off the hook in the city of Covina, California. All the callers frantically report a massive explosion on East Knollcrest drive—the Ortegas' family home. In the chaos, neighbors are sheltering the panicked surviving family members, running for their lives from what should have been a normal Christmas dinner. But what the survivors tell 911 dispatchers is even more deeply disturbing: the nightmare actually began before the house went up in flames when a man dressed as Santa Claus opened fire at the family dinner. Now, the surviving Ortega family must figure out how to rebuild after an unimaginable tragedy, and keep the Christmas spirit alive.

In her journey to rebuild, Leticia Yuzefpolsky now shares empowering stories about healing, love, & family on her blog: https://leticiashope.com/about/

CreditsDirected, written & edited by Alexandre Gendron & Justin ChalifouxResearched by Manon LafosseProduced by Alexandra Salois & Salim SaderVoiceover by William AkanaSourcesOxygen Emerge Pictures Jarrett Creative GroupKristina KuzmicBellum Entertainment OWNMichele F RosenthalABC7CNNAP ArchiveAssociated PressCBS NewsAssociate Press2KCAL9Chasing reality RawBill Rhetts - hi-caliber.orgWhy are we friends? PodcastRory Smithristmas - Short Film 2022Little Help - Christmas Short Film 2022Advent - Christmas Short Film 2024Santa Flamethrower - Garden CenterSanta Claus On Fire - Stuntman Phil