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Calif. school shooter sentenced to life

Man, 42, opened fire at a playground

Associated Press

VISTA, Calif. — A gunman who opened fire on a crowded elementary school near San Diego has been sentenced to life in prison.

In March, a jury in Vista convicted 42-year-old Brendan O’Rourke of premeditated murder and assault with a firearm. The jury found he was sane at the time of the attack at Kelly Elementary School in Carlsbad.

U-T San Diego reports that Superior Court Judge Aaron Katz sentenced O’Rourke on Friday.

O’Rourke had a .357 Magnum revolver, extra ammunition, a gas can and matches when he opened fire at the playground in October 2010.

Two second-grade girls who were injured have recovered. Three construction workers intervened and stopped the attack by wrestling O’Rourke to the ground before police arrived.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press