GARDNERVILLE, Nev. (AP) — A 43-year-old suspect in three killings in the San Francisco Bay Area has been sentenced to up to 40 years in prison for the attempted murder of a Nevada sheriff's deputy he shot before he was arrested near Lake Tahoe in April.

The (Gardnerville) Record-Courier reports Douglas County District Judge Tod Young sentenced Stefon Demar Jefferson to the maximum 16 to 40 years on Thursday.

The judge said it's a miracle that Douglas County sheriff's Sgt. Ron Miller survived the shootout during a high-speed chase on the Kingsbury Grade near the lake on April 26.

Defense attorney Kris Brown said that Jefferson admitted to his part in the shooting and was ready to accept the consequences.

Jefferson still faces three murder charges in California for the killings the same day of men in Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco.

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Information from: Gardnerville Record-Courier, http://www.recordcourier.com