SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Amended charges were filed Tuesday in San Francisco’s Superior Court against the man accused of killing a woman on the Embarcadero. The amendment includes a new charge of a felon in possession of a firearm.
45-year-old Francisco Sanchez pleaded not guilty to firing the fatal shots that took the life of 32-year-old Kate Steinle as she walked down San Francisco’s popular Pier 14 arm-in-arm with her father on July 1st.
In a 10-minute court hearing, Sanchez listened in with the help of an interpreter to the new charges he will face in court. The judge set a preliminary hearing date for August 25.
Sanchez claims he found an officer’s gun wrapped in a t-shirt, and when he picked it up, the gun accidentally discharged. Sanchez was released in San Francisco because of its sanctuary city policy, despite the fact that he was a convicted felon with five previous deportations back to Mexico.
Steinle’s murder has drawn national attention and called into question the efficacy of sanctuary city policies.
Stay with KRON 4 as more information from the court is made available.