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 Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, 45, was charged with murder on
Monday for last week's apparently random shooting of 32-year-old
Kathryn Steinle. The gun used in the shooting belonged to a federal
agent, anonymous sources told the San Jose Mercury News and the Los
Angeles Times. Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports.
Sanhcez denied guilt in English and Spanish several times during
Tuesday's brief court hearing.
"He has a second grade education and many of the legal nuances and
the legal ramifications that attend to the circumstances of this
case are beyond his current comprehension," public defender Matt
Gonzalez told reporters.
The case drew national attention after Republican presidential
candidate Donald Trump cited the killing to decry U.S.-Mexico border
security.
The incident also highlighted the long-standing "sanctuary city"
policy in San Francisco, one of dozens of U.S. cities that limit
assistance to federal immigration authorities aiming to apprehend or
deport individuals.
Such laws were rooted in shielding Central and Southern American
refugees from deportation in the 1980s.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee defended the policy as allowing immigrant
families to access city services without fear of being reported to
federal authorities, not as a shield for violent or repeat
criminals.
He also called on local and federal authorities to review their
actions leading up to Sanchez's release.
Still, the shooting spurred Republican state Senator John Stone on
Tuesday to introduce a bill that would require California cities to
detain undocumented immigrant prisoners for 48 hours to give federal
immigration officials time to make deportation or prosecution
decisions.
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U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein said on Tuesday she was looking into
possible federal legislation on the issue as well.
Immigration officials said Sanchez was released from federal prison
in March after a felony re-entry conviction, then transferred to the
San Francisco County Sheriff's Office on a drug arrest warrant.
Federal officials asked to be notified prior to his release.
The sheriff's office said the drug charges were dismissed, and since
there was no active warrant or judicial order for Sanchez's removal,
the city's policy deemed Sanchez "ineligible for extended detention"
and he was freed.
Sanchez's criminal history includes seven felony convictions, and he
has been deported to Mexico five times, immigration officials said.
His bail was set at $5 million. He is due back in court on July 22.
(Reporting by Emmett Berg and Curtis Skinner in San Francisco and
Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles; Editing by Lisa Lambert and Eric
Walsh)
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