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Carlsbad, Calif. school shooter gets 189 years to life

Brendan O'Rourke enters the Vista, Calif. Superior Court prior to sentencing, Friday, April 20, 2012. KFMB

(CBS/AP) VISTA, Calif. - A gunman who opened fire on a crowded elementary school near San Diego has been sentenced to 189 years to life in prison.

A judge sentenced 42-year-old Brendan O'Rourke Friday for the October 2010 attack at Kelly Elementary School in Carlsbad that injured two second-grade girls before three construction workers wrestled the shooter to the ground.

In March, a jury in Vista convicted O'Rourke of premeditated murder and assault with a firearm. The jury found he was sane at the time of the attack.

O'Rourke had a .357 Magnum revolver, extra ammunition, a gas can and matches when he opened fire at the school playground where there were 230 children.

The U-T San Diego newspaper reports that Superior Court Judge Aaron Katz issued the sentence Friday.

The girls who were injured have recovered.

Carlsbad is a coastal community 35 miles north of downtown San Diego.

More on Crimesider
Oct. 8, 2010 - Kelly Elementary School: Shots Fired at Carlsbad, Calif. School, at Least Two InjuredOct. 8, 2010 - Kelly Elementary School Shooting Update: Two Students Injured, Not Life-Threatening, Say Calif. Police



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