Gillian Christensen, spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said the suspect in the case — without referring to him by name — had been previously deported five times, most recently in 2009, and had a criminal history that included seven prior felony convictions, including four narcotics charges.
U.S. immigration officials said Friday that the San Francisco Police Department did not honor a request they made in March to hold onto a Mexican citizen now charged in the random shooting of a tourist on the San Francisco pier.
Francisco Sanchez, 45, has been charged with killing a 31-year-old woman who was strolling with her family along the scenic Embarcadero waterfront on Wednesday evening, police said.
The victim, identified as Kathryn Steinle of Pleasanton, Calif., was struck in the chest after posing for photos at Pier 14 with her father, who had his arm around her, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
“There was a pop, and Kate went down,” 68-year-old Jim Steinle told the newspaper. She died later at San Francisco General Hospital.
Police say the suspect never exchanged words with Steinle before he opened fire, KGO-TV reports.
There does not appear to be any connection between the victim and the suspect,” said Sgt. Michael Andraychak, according to KGO. “At this point, it appears to be a random shooting incident.”
Police quickly flooded the area with officers, who were helped in their search by photos of the suspect taken by bystanders. Within an hour, police arrested Sanchez on a nearby street corner.
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