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Texas Man On Probation Arrested In Fatal Shooting Of Woman At San Francisco Pier 14

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A man has been arrested in the shooting death of a woman who was walking along San Francisco's Embarcadero with her family Wednesday evening.

Texas resident Francisco Sanchez had been detained as a person of interest south along the Embarcadero shortly after the shooting at Pier 14 after witnesses on the pier snapped his photo, which was quickly forwarded to officers investigating the killing.

UPDATE: Man Arrested In Fatal Shooting Of Woman At SF Pier 14 Had Been Deported 5 Times

Sanchez was arrested Thursday. He is 45 or 46 years old and on probation out of Texas.

Francisco Sanchez
Francisco Sanchez (San Francisco Police Dept.)

Sources told KPIX 5 that police divers Thursday recovered a weapon from the black, silty bay waters just off the Embarcadero. It was not clear whether it was the weapon used in the killing.

The victim was identified as 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, who had recently moved to San Francisco. Police said Steinle suffered a single gunshot wound to her torso and that the shooting appeared to be completely random.

"There were no words exchanged between the suspect and the victim," said Sgt. Michael Andraychak. "The victim said something to her family members to the extent that she didn't feel well, that she just realized something had taken place and she fell to the ground."

Her brother, Brad Steinle, said she was simply walking with her father along the busy tourist locale when she was shot.

Her father and bystanders tried to perform CPR on her, police said, but she was pronounced dead at San Francisco General Hospital about two hours after the shooting.

Steinle was from Pleasanton and a graduate of Amador Valley High School who had moved to San Francisco to work for medical technology firm Medtronic. She is survived by her parents and her brother.

"She was the most wonderful, loving caring person and if anybody could take anything from this -- if you love somebody, just tell them that you love them," said brother Brad Steinle.

Andraychak said the Steinle family wanted the police department to relay a message to the public, expressing their gratitude to all the Good Samaritans who tried to help their daughter following the shooting and to all those who provided police with information about the suspect.

 

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