Family Of Woman Killed In SF Pier Shooting To File Suit Against Sheriff Mirkarimi, ICE
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The family of Kate Steinle, who was gunned down by an illegal immigrant while walking with her family at San Francisco's Pier 14, plans to file a lawsuit against San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to attorneys for the family.
The Steinle family has scheduled a news conference Tuesday morning on the steps of San Francisco City Hall to formally announce the filing of claims holding Mirkarimi, ICE and the Bureau of Land Management responsible for the death of Steinle.
The claims are a standard precursor to a lawsuit.
Steinle was shot on the evening of July 1 as she walked along Pier 14 with her father. Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was arrested on suspicion of murder in the case.
Lopez-Sanchez, who was deported from the U.S. five times and had a criminal history, had been released by the sheriff's department in April when the department chose not to honor a federal immigration detainer, citing the city's sanctuary city policy.
The gun used in the shooting was issued to a ranger with the Bureau of Land Management and had been stolen from his vehicle.
The Steinle homicide has spurred a national debate on sanctuary city laws and the role of local law enforcement when dealing with federal officials.
