OK Jade Helm conspiracy nuts, go crazy!! This little detail has even me going, “what the heck?!!”
The shooting death of a San Francisco woman had already fueled a fresh round of fierce debate over U.S. immigration policies. Now a new detail in the investigation adds another dimension to the discussion.
The gun used in the killing of Kate Steinle belonged to a federal agent, a source with knowledge of the investigation said.
The undocumented immigrant who’s accused in the killing earlier told CNN affiliate KGO-TV that he found the gun wrapped inside a T-shirt.
Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, who has a felony record and has been deported to Mexico five times, pleaded not guilty to murder and weapons charges. His bail was set at $5 million.
The plea comes days after Lopez-Sanchez told CNN affiliate KGO-TV that the gun accidentally went off when he shot Steinle last week at Pier 14, a popular walking spot on the waterfront.
“I want the courts to punish me as is deserved and for this to end as soon as possible,” he said in Spanish during the interview.
And while ICE and the San Francisco Sheriff pass the buck around, Lopez-Sanchez makes it clear that he was in the city because it was a “sanctuary city.”
Lopez-Sanchez told KGO he repeatedly returned to the United States after he was deported because he could find work and make more money than in his native Mexico. He said he has worked on ranches in Arizona and helped stock stores in Portland, Oregon. Asked whether he came to San Francisco because there were more opportunities and because officials there would not deport him, he said yes.
I’m shocked that this case has finally made it into the headlines since conservative new media has been trying to sound the alarm about illegal alien crimes for years. While it’s a great tragedy that Steinle lost her life, perhaps the one small consolation is that her death might actually change things in this country.