"Jose Inez Garcia Zarate, an illegal immigrant who had been deported from the U.S. five times, most recently in 2009, and was on probation in Texas at the time, was wandering around the pier, and fired one shot from a .40 caliber SIG Sauer P239 handgun that had a seven-cartridge magazine.
The prosecution and defense differed as to what happened; the prosecution stated that Garcia Zarate intentionally aimed a gun at Steinle and fired at her, before throwing the weapon into the bay and fleeing; the defense argued the gun accidentally discharged and the bullet ricocheted on the concrete pier 78 feet before hitting Steinle."
