Puerto Rican Man Gets Life Sentence For 2009 Shooting That Killed 8 And Unborn Child

A man convicted for his role in a 2009 Puerto Rico bar shooting that left eight people and an 8-month-old fetus dead has been sentenced to life in federal prison.

David Oquendo-Rivas had been found guilty of charges including 28 counts of committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering activity.

Authorities said Oquendo-Rivas was one of several suspected drug dealers who opened fire on a bar in the north town of Toa Baja that was celebrating its reopening. Nineteen people were injured and 335 spent shell-casings were found at the scene.

When they arrived at the bar, the group immediately opened fire indiscriminately on all the patrons located outside, many of whom were women, children, and elderly people. The men were heard yelling, "Nadie sale vivo" (“No one gets out alive”) as they opened fire on the people inside.

Oquendo-Rivas and another individual were found a few days following the massacre with three pistols, one of which was scientifically matched to the bar attack.

Oquendo-Rivas was sentenced on Thursday. Co-defendant Alexis Candelario Santana was sentenced to life in prison in August.

Authorities said the owner of the bar was targeted because he had taken over Candelario's drug trafficking organization.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.