The man who shot and killed Kate Steinle in San Francisco seven years ago pleads guilty to federal gun charges. Jose Inez Garcia-Zarate faces up to ten years in prison.
Garcia-Zarate admitted in 2015, that he was in the country unlawfully and had previously been convicted of illegal re-entry after deportation. He served time on drug charges in Arizona, Oregon and for heroin possession in Washington State. He said he was living in San Francisco because it was a sanctuary city.
Prosecutors say Garcia-Zarate intentionally fired a semi-automatic pistol at San Francisco Embarcadero Pier 14. The bullet hit Kate Steinle in the back and killed her. At the time of her death, Steinle was sight seeing with her father and a family friend.
32-year-old Kate Steinle graduated from Cal Poly. When she was shot, she fell into her father’s arms and her final words were, “Help me, dad.”
Zarate-Garcia will be sentenced in June.
