Kathryn Steinle's parents to file legal claims against S.F., feds in Pier 14 slaying: http://t.co/2qXGMUSpBF pic.twitter.com/HcqFuC0osT
— SFGate (@SFGate) September 1, 2015
by BJ Kraska
The parents of Kathryn Steinle plan to file a claim against city and federal officials, holding them responsible for the shooting death of their 32-year-old daughter on Pier 14 back in early July.
The Chronicle reports that Liz Sullivan and Jim Steinle, of Livermore, will name San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi in the claim, as well as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and the federal Bureau of Land Management. Mirkarimi has come under scrutiny for failing to honor a request by ICE to turn over to federal officials Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, the 45-year-old Mexican immigrant who, as previously reported, may have accidentally killed Kate Steinle with a gun stolen from the car of a BLM agent four days prior to the July 1 incident.
According to KTVU, Sheriff Mirkarimi has maintained that the ICE request violates San Francisco's Sanctuary City and Due Process for All policies, as well as the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. "Federal courts have actually held that detaining someone for ICE is unconstitutional, it's unlawful," said sheriff's attorney Mark Nicco to ABC7, further reinforcing Mirkarimi's unwavering stance on not holding detainees after being released from county jail.
Lopez-Sanchez is a Mexican national who had been previously deported from the United States five separate times. ICE had most recently turned him over to SF authorities for an outstanding drug warrant in March, who released him only three weeks later.
Following a preliminary hearing last week, Judge Brendan Conroy is expected to decide soon if there is sufficient evidence for Lopez-Sanchez to stand trial for murder.
The Steinles and their attorneys are holding a news conference today at 11 a.m. We'll update you with any further information gleaned from that.
Previously: Pier 14 Shooting Accidental? Bullet That Killed Kathryn Steinle May Have Ricocheted
Francisco Sanchez, Suspect In Pier 14 Murder, In Court For Preliminary Hearing