San Francisco Sheriff's Deputy Who Had Firearm Stolen Dismissed
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – The San Francisco Sheriff's office confirmed on Tuesday that the deputy who had his gun stolen from a rental car over the weekend has been let go from the force.
According to a Sheriff's office spokesperson, the deputy had been working as a probationary employee and was released as a result of the incident on Sunday.
On Monday, Sheriff Vicki Hennessy said the deputy, who was off-duty at the time of the theft, reported the department-issued weapon stolen to the San Francisco Police Department around 6:30 p.m.
Police said they responded to the auto burglary in the 200 block of San Bruno Avenue around 6:43 p.m. Sunday. The gun was apparently left in the trunk of a rental car parked in San Francisco.
"Preliminary information indicates the firearm was stored in violation of our policy," Hennessy said. "Our department policy mandates that a firearm stored in a vehicle be stored in a metal or composite lockbox that is affixed to the interior of the vehicle and out of public view."
The department has opened an investigation into the theft and Hennessey said she was taking the matter "extremely seriously."
The weapon has not been recovered.
According to the Sheriff's office, the deputy had been working for the department for less than a year when dismissed.
Guns stolen from law enforcement have been used in several fatal shootings in recent years.
San Francisco police reported last week that a gun stolen from an officer's personal vehicle on Aug. 12 was used in an alleged crime spree over the next several days, including the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Abel Enrique Esquivel Jr., on Aug. 15 in the city's Mission District.
Three people have been arrested in connection with that shooting, which allegedly occurred during a robbery.
A gun stolen from a U.S. Bureau of Land Management agent was also used in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kate Steinle in July 2015 in San Francisco. Jose Ines Garcia-Zarate, 54, is expected to stand trial on a murder charge in that case later this fall.
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