SF shooting: Handgun belonged to federal agent

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – According to 24-Hour News 8’s sister KRON-TV, the gun used to kill a 32-year-old woman on San Francisco’s Pier 14 belonged to a federal agent.

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, according to the Associated Press. The official declined to elaborate further.

A Sig Sauer pistol was used in the fatal shooting, a source told KRON-TV. The gun was recovered last Thursday in the bay by a police dive team. The source described the weapon as being an expensive, high-end, common police gun.

Another source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN’s Sara Sidner that the gun belonged to a federal agent.

But an FBI spokesman told KRON-TV it was just being made aware of the reports and is actively investigating. The FBI cannot confirm the reports that the gun used in the Pier 14 shooting was that of a federal agent, the spokesman said.

Sanchez is accused of shooting and killing 32-year-old Kate Steinle at the Pier 14 dock along the Embarcadero. He has been formally charged with murder.

Steinle was with her father and a family friend at the time of the shooting. Steinle was shot in the upper torso. She was taken to San Francisco General Hospital where she died.

Sanchez told a San Francisco news crews during a jailhouse interview that he found a gun wrapped inside a shirt and when he picked it up, he heard three shots go off.

Police say witnesses did not hear any argument or dispute before the shooting happened, suggesting it may have been a random attack.

Sanchez, a 45-year-old repeat drug offender, entered a not guilty plea in court on Tuesday and his bail was set at $5 million.