Story highlights
NEW: Medical examiners confirm identities of seven people found dead in shooting
NEW: Suspected killer was father of two victims and estranged husband of another
NEW: Also killed were estranged wife's sister, along with her husband and daughter
Medical examiners on Tuesday confirmed the identities of six people slain at a Christmas gathering in a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb, along with a man dressed as Santa Claus who is believed to have shot them and then himself.
Azizolah Yazdanpanah, 56, was identified by Tarrant County medical examiners as the man who apparently opened fire on the family gathering in a Grapevine apartment on Sunday, said police Sgt. Robert Eberling. Yazdanpanah was the father of two of the teenage victims and the estranged husband of another, according to police.
Police said the group apparently had just finished opening their gifts when the shootings occurred.
Fatemeh Rahmaty, 55, who was separated from Yazdanpanah, was killed, along with Ali Yazdanpanah, 14, and Nona Yazdanpanah, 19, the shooting suspect’s children, Eberling said.
Also killed were Zohreh Rahmaty, 58, her husband, Mohamad Hossein Zarei, 59, and their daughter, Sara Fatemeh Zarei, 22.
Zohreh Rahmaty and Fatemeh Rahmaty were sisters, Eberling said.
Authorities responded to the address Sunday after they received a 911 emergency call from the apartment but heard only an open line, police said in a statement Monday.
CNN’s Carma Hassan, Chuck Johnston, and Nick Valencia contributed to this report.