Gun used in San Francisco pier slaying belonged to fed

SAN FRANCISCO — The gun used in the seemingly random slaying of a woman on a San Francisco pier belonged to a federal agent, a law enforcement official briefed on the matter said Tuesday.

The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case and spoke on condition of anonymity, said a police check of the weapon’s serial number shows it belonged to a federal agent.

Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez pleaded not guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder in last week’s shooting. Sanchez told two television stations he found the gun wrapped in a shirt on the pier.

Authorities say Sanchez is in the United States illegally and has been deported five times. He has served more than 17 years in prison for entering the country illegally.

San Francisco officials released the Mexican national from jail in April, ignoring an Immigration and Customs Enforcement request to detain him for deportation proceedings.

Politicians — including San Francisco’s former mayor, Sen. Dianne Feinstein — have joined mounting criticism of the city’s policy of refusing to cooperate with federal immigration officials when they request help in detaining a suspect thought to be in the country illegally.

At Sanchez’s arraignment Tuesday, his public defender, Matt Gonzalez, said the shooting appeared to be an accident.

In jailhouse interviews with two television stations, Sanchez said he found a gun wrapped in a shirt on the pier and it went off in his hands.

“This was an act of random violence, shooting an innocent victim in the back,” prosecutor Dianna Garcia told the judge, arguing against releasing Sanchez on bail.

The judge set bail at $5 million. Sanchez could face life in prison if convicted.