OAKLAND (BCN) — A former criminal justice student who wanted to become an Oakland police officer was sentenced today to 14 years in state prison for fatally shooting two employees at a Wingstop restaurant near Lake Merritt in Oakland three years ago.

Jamaine Gurley, 24, of Oakland, who played football at McClymonds High School in West Oakland before graduating in 2010 and then attended a local branch of the University of Phoenix, initially was charged with two counts of murder for the shooting deaths of Richmond residents Kenneth Omar Bradley, 22, and Jose Santa Maria, 26, at the Wingstop restaurant at 528 Lake Park Ave. at about 11:45 p.m. on July 1, 2013.

But the charges later were reduced to manslaughter and Gurley pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter in March just before he was to stand trial. He also pled guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and carrying a loaded weapon.

Oakland police said Gurley and another man had ended their shifts as security guards at a downtown construction site and went to the restaurant to get something to eat at about 11:40 p.m. on July 1, 2013, but they became concerned for their safety after a brief conversation with another customer who made what they thought were threatening remarks.

The man left but Gurley and the man who was with him believed the man might come back armed with a gun so they took refuge in a walk-in freezer at the back of the restaurant, police said.

When Bradley and Santa Maria came to get them to leave, Gurley, who had a pistol, shot them, killing them instantly, according to police.

Before he was sentenced by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Vernon Nakahara at a packed and emotional hearing today, Gurley said, “I made a terrible mistake and I should have gone through proper channels to ensure my safety.”

Gurley said, “If I could go back in time, I would not have been carrying a firearm and gone into an employee area.”

Gurley said he’s been taking classes while he’s been in jail and when he’s released from custody he hopes to have “a positive impact” on the community.

Gurley told his many family members who were in court, “I hope one day I’ll have a chance to finish school and make you proud.”

Bradley’s cousin, Senika Levias, said she worked as a nurse at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin after Gurley was incarcerated there and when she observed him she could tell he was remorseful for what he had done and “I felt sorry for him.”

But Levias also said a 14-year state prison term is the appropriate sentence “for two lives being taken.”

Levias told Gurley, “The maximum sentence is still a blessing for you because you can still have children when you get out.

Gurley’s oldest sister, Kyesha Thompson, said Gurley was an honor student who volunteered in the community and tutored people.

Thompson said Gurley “is very remorseful for what happened and just made a tragic mistake.

Gurley’s mother, Lawana Gurley, told the family members of Bradley and Santa Maria, “I’m very sorry from my heart” for what happened.

Nakahara told Gurley that he’s seen many defendants in his 25 years as a judge and “it’s refreshing when I run into someone like you who owns up to his mistake so I hope you do get a second chance and make good on what you said” about contributing to the community when he’s released from prison.

Nakahara said, “It won’t be an easy road but I think you have the strength of character to get through all of this.”