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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Mexican man found not guilty of murder in San Francisco case Trump condemned | Mexican man found not guilty of murder in San Francisco case Trump condemned |
| (about 2 months later) | |
| José Inés García Zárate said death of Kate Steinle was accidental in case that fueled debate over immigration and ‘sanctuary cities’ | |
| Associated Press | |
| Fri 1 Dec 2017 01.21 GMT | |
| Last modified on Fri 1 Dec 2017 14.15 GMT | |
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| A jury on Thursday found a Mexican man not guilty of murder in the killing of a woman on a San Francisco pier that touched off a national immigration debate two years ago. | A jury on Thursday found a Mexican man not guilty of murder in the killing of a woman on a San Francisco pier that touched off a national immigration debate two years ago. |
| José Inés García Zárate had been deported five times and was wanted for a sixth deportation when Kate Steinle was fatally shot in the back while walking with her father on the pier. | José Inés García Zárate had been deported five times and was wanted for a sixth deportation when Kate Steinle was fatally shot in the back while walking with her father on the pier. |
| García Zárate did not deny shooting Steinle but said it was an accident. | García Zárate did not deny shooting Steinle but said it was an accident. |
| The shooting came in the middle of the presidential campaign in July 2015 and touched off a fierce debate over the country’s immigration policies. It spotlighted San Francisco’s “sanctuary city” policy, which limits local officials from cooperating with US immigration authorities. | The shooting came in the middle of the presidential campaign in July 2015 and touched off a fierce debate over the country’s immigration policies. It spotlighted San Francisco’s “sanctuary city” policy, which limits local officials from cooperating with US immigration authorities. |
| Politics, however, did not come up in the month-long trial, which featured extensive testimony from ballistics experts. Defense attorneys argued that García Zárate was a hapless homeless man who killed Steinle in a freak accident. Prosecutors said he meant to shoot and kill her. | Politics, however, did not come up in the month-long trial, which featured extensive testimony from ballistics experts. Defense attorneys argued that García Zárate was a hapless homeless man who killed Steinle in a freak accident. Prosecutors said he meant to shoot and kill her. |
| García Zárate was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. | García Zárate was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. |
| The San Francisco deputy district attorney Diana Garcia said during the trial that she did not know why García Zárate fired the weapon, but he created a risk of death by bringing the firearm to the pier and twirling around on a chair for at least 20 minutes before he fired. | The San Francisco deputy district attorney Diana Garcia said during the trial that she did not know why García Zárate fired the weapon, but he created a risk of death by bringing the firearm to the pier and twirling around on a chair for at least 20 minutes before he fired. |
| “He did kill someone. He took the life of a young, vibrant, beautiful, cherished woman by the name of Kate Steinle,” she said. | “He did kill someone. He took the life of a young, vibrant, beautiful, cherished woman by the name of Kate Steinle,” she said. |
| A defense attorney, Matt Gonzalez, said in his closing argument that he knew it was difficult to believe García Zárate found an object that turned out to be a weapon, which fired when he picked it up. | A defense attorney, Matt Gonzalez, said in his closing argument that he knew it was difficult to believe García Zárate found an object that turned out to be a weapon, which fired when he picked it up. |
| But he told jurors that García Zárate had no motivation to kill Steinle and that as awful as her death was, “nothing you do is going to fix that”. | But he told jurors that García Zárate had no motivation to kill Steinle and that as awful as her death was, “nothing you do is going to fix that”. |
| The bullet ricocheted on the pier’s concrete walkway and fatally struck Steinle in the back. | The bullet ricocheted on the pier’s concrete walkway and fatally struck Steinle in the back. |
| The gun was stolen from the SUV of a US Bureau of Land Management ranger that was parked in San Francisco. The city has been plagued by an epidemic of car burglaries in recent years. | The gun was stolen from the SUV of a US Bureau of Land Management ranger that was parked in San Francisco. The city has been plagued by an epidemic of car burglaries in recent years. |
| Before the shooting, García Zárate had finished a federal prison sentence for illegal re-entry into the United States and had been transferred to San Francisco’s jail in March 2015 to face a 20-year-old charge for selling marijuana. | Before the shooting, García Zárate had finished a federal prison sentence for illegal re-entry into the United States and had been transferred to San Francisco’s jail in March 2015 to face a 20-year-old charge for selling marijuana. |
| The sheriff’s department released him a few days later after prosecutors dropped the marijuana charge, despite a request from federal immigration officials to detain him for deportation. | The sheriff’s department released him a few days later after prosecutors dropped the marijuana charge, despite a request from federal immigration officials to detain him for deportation. |
| Donald Trump said during the presidential campaign that Steinle’s death was another reason the United States needed to build a wall on its southern border and tighten its immigration policies. | Donald Trump said during the presidential campaign that Steinle’s death was another reason the United States needed to build a wall on its southern border and tighten its immigration policies. |
| Trump signed an executive order to withhold funding from sanctuary cities, but a federal judge recently blocked it in a lawsuit from two California counties, San Francisco and Santa Clara. The administration has appealed. | Trump signed an executive order to withhold funding from sanctuary cities, but a federal judge recently blocked it in a lawsuit from two California counties, San Francisco and Santa Clara. The administration has appealed. |
| After the verdict, the president tweeted: | After the verdict, the president tweeted: |
| A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case! No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration. | A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case! No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration. |
| Another lawyer for the defense, Francisco Ugarte, said that the death of Kate Steinle was an “incomprehensible tragedy”, but the ruling was a vindication for immigrants. | Another lawyer for the defense, Francisco Ugarte, said that the death of Kate Steinle was an “incomprehensible tragedy”, but the ruling was a vindication for immigrants. |
| Ugarte said the case was used “to foment hate” and used “to catapult a presidency along that philosophy of hate of others”. | Ugarte said the case was used “to foment hate” and used “to catapult a presidency along that philosophy of hate of others”. |
| He said the immigration status of García Zárate had no relevance to the case and the verdict was a correct reflection of what had transpired. | He said the immigration status of García Zárate had no relevance to the case and the verdict was a correct reflection of what had transpired. |
| San Francisco | |
| US immigration | |
| California | |
| Donald Trump | |
| news | |
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