Chula Vista

Man Who Burned, Shot at Ex's Home Daycare With Kids Inside Sentenced to Prison

Gustavo Sepulveda, 41, was convicted of premeditated attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, 10 counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, seven counts of child endangerment and two counts of arson

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A man convicted of shooting into his ex-girlfriend's home daycare and trying to set the home on fire while seven children were inside was sentenced to more than two decades in prison Tuesday.

Gustavo Sepulveda, 41, went to his ex-girlfriend's house in Chula Vista's San Miguel Ranch neighborhood in October of 2017 to get a mattress, according to police.

NBC 7's Chris Chan reports the court proceedings for a man who fired shots into a daycare and set fires outside the daycare after a dispute with his ex-girlfriend.

The victim told police Sepulveda had lit a car on fire near the residence and his behavior was growing increasingly violent.

Sepulveda was armed with a handgun, which he began firing into the home, shattering the glass doors at the back. He then walked through the shattered doors and into the daycare.

Seven children were under the care of the facility at the time. Another daycare employee rounded up the kids and locked them in a bathroom, according to police. Meanwhile, the owner of the daycare armed herself with a gun and, according to CVPD investigators, fired her weapon in self-defense to keep the suspect away from the daycare.

Sepulveda then set several fires to the home, causing smoke to build up inside. The children and employees were safely evacuated and were unharmed.

Sepulveda was convicted on one count of premeditated attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, 10 counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, seven counts of child endangerment and two counts of arson. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison but was given credit for time spent in custody since the shooting five years ago.

In court, Sepulveda's attorney read a statement out loud on his behalf.

"I endangered either your lives or the lives of your loved ones. I inflicted a terror that is unimaginable. I can never take that back. I wish I could. I want you to know I am very sorry. I don't know how, but I hope in some way it will bring you some type of comfort to know that you or your loved ones were not targets," Sepulveda's letter read in part.

In his letter, Sepulveda also asked for permission to communicate with the parents of the children in the daycare and further explain his regret for the incident, if they wanted to.

None of the victims' parents were present for the sentencing, according to the District Attorney's Office.

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