The Justice Department is considering federal charges against the immigrant in the U.S. illegally charged in the death of Kate Steinle.
Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was acquitted by a jury Thursday of murder and manslaughter in the 2015 shooting but was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
A Justice Department spokeswoman said Friday on “Fox & Friends” that the department is considering federal charges against Garcia Zarate.
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“We’re looking at every option and we will prosecute this to the fullest extent available under the law because these cases are tragic and entirely preventable,” said Sarah Isgur Flores, the DOJ director of public affairs.
Flores said the department is looking at other cases to determine what charges they would pursue, but possibilities include felony re-entry and violating supervised release.
Police say Steinle was fatally shot by Garcia Zarate, who had been deported to Mexico five times, while walking along the San Francisco waterfront
“This is a person who had been deported five times and kept returning … he knew about their sanctuary policies. This is a person who never should have been on that pier, and Kate Steinle would still be alive today if he hadn’t been,” Flores said.
Flores’s comments come after President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions both slammed the not guilty verdict, with Sessions focusing on sanctuary city policies.
“When jurisdictions choose to return criminal aliens to the streets rather than turning them over to federal immigration authorities, they put the public’s safety at risk,” Sessions said in a statement after the verdict.
Trump lashed out at the verdict Thursday night, calling it “disgraceful.”
“A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case! No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration,” Trump tweeted.