Aziz Yazdanpanah, 56, is the father that dressed up as Santa Claus and opened fire on his estranged family on Christmas Day as they were opening their presents.
STORY: HOLY JEEZ! 7 People Shot To Death After Opening Christmas Presents
The first pictures emerged of the seven family members gunned down by Yazdanpanah as they opened their presents on Christmas morning.
According to WFAA8.com, Yazdanpanah had been separated from his wife in March and is believed to have opened fire at the family’s apartment in Grapevine, Dallas. He killed seven people, including his children and wife, before turning the gun on himself.
Friends say Yazdanpanah likely showed up unexpectedly the next morning as he had not been invited to the party.
The victims were identified as his wife Nasrin Rahmaty, 55, the couple’s two children Nona Yazdanpanah, 19, and her brother, Ali, 15.
Yazdanpanah also killed his sister-in-law’s family, Zohreh Rahmaty, 58, and her husband, Hossein Zarei, 59. Their daughter Sahra Zarei, 22, was also shot.
Mona Hosseiny, 27, who grew up with the children, told WFAA8:
“They were as close as siblings. They basically called each other sister, brother. They were everybody’s best friend and everybody loved them so much.”
Meanwhile, more than 200 people gathered at Par Park in Grapevine for a candlelight vigil Wednesday night. They shared their memories of the victims.
“You cannot imagine what we are going through right now,” said a close family friend. “You can’t imagine. I love them dearly. They were so, so sweet.”
They also celebrated the lives of the Zarei family.
“These were incredible people, and it’s so hard to believe that people this good are gone,” said a friend of the Zarei family.
Police also released the chilling 911 call after the Christmas Day shooting. This was the first homicide in Grapevine since 2010.
