“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/

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Credits Directed, written & edited by Alexandre Gendron & Justin Chalifoux Researched by Manon Lafosse Produced by Alexandra Salois & Salim Sader Voiceover by William Akana _

Sources Oxygen Emerge Pictures Jarrett Creative Group Kristina Kuzmic Bellum Entertainment OWN Michele F Rosenthal ABC7 CNN AP Archive Associated Press CBS News Associate Press 2KCAL9 Chasing reality Raw Bill Rhetts - hi-caliber.org Why are we friends? Podcast Rory Smithristmas - Short Film 2022 Little Help - Christmas Short Film 2022 Advent - Christmas Short Film 2024 Santa Flamethrower - Garden Center Santa Claus On Fire - Stuntman Phil