Defendant pleads not guilty in Pier 14 killing 
 
 San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, (left) leads Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, into the Hall of Justice in San Francisco, Calif. on Tues. July 7, 2015, for his arraignment on suspicion of murder in the shooting death of Kate Steinle on San Francisco’s Pier 14 last Wednesday. less San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, (left) leads Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, into the Hall of Justice in San Francisco, Calif. on Tues. July 7, 2015, for his arraignment on suspicion of murder in the ... more Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Macor / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Defendant pleads not guilty in Pier 14 killing 1 / 12 Back to Gallery 
 
 The man accused of fatally shooting a stranger who was walking with her father on San Francisco’s Pier 14 pleaded not guilty to murder Tuesday, as his attorney argued that the evidence points to a tragic accident. 
 
 Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, whose age is listed as 45 by police and 52 in jail records, made his first appearance in court, listening intently as Judge Daniel Flores read the charges against him in connection with the shocking death of 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle. 
 
 The circumstances of Steinle’s killing remained unclear Tuesday, but police have learned that the gun had been stolen just days earlier from a federal agent, according to sources close to the investigation. 
 
 Lopez-Sanchez, asked for his plea through a Spanish interpreter, answered “no culpable” and repeated the statement throughout the short hearing, even when he was not asked. He didn’t appear to understand what was happening, saying again that he was not guilty in Spanish in response to a question by the judge regarding his next court appearance. 
 
 Steinle had been walking along Pier 14 on the busy Embarcadero with her father when she was shot through the heart at about 6:30 p.m. on July 1. 
 
 Interview in English 
 
 In a jailhouse interview with KGO, Lopez-Sanchez appeared to admit to firing the shot, saying the gun went off after he found it wrapped in a T-shirt under a bench — and after he took sleeping pills he found in a trash can. 
 
 But outside court, Public Defender Jeff Adachi, whose office is representing Lopez-Sanchez, suggested that the defendant did not understand what he was being asked during the television interview. 
 
 “That interview was done primarily in English by a reporter,” he said. “I think certainly, that interview raised a lot of questions about whether Mr. Sanchez understood what was being asked.” 
 
 Lopez-Sanchez’s lawyer, Matt Gonzalez, the chief attorney in the public defender’s office, said his client has a second-grade education. 
 
 “This very well could be a completely accidental discharge of a firearm,” he said. “You’ve got an individual who does not know the victim in the case, has no interest or desire in injuring her in any way, and no witness or anybody to allege that there was any crime going on at the time the shooting occurred.” 
 
 Lopez-Sanchez was also charged with using a gun, which could add up to 10 years to his sentence if he is convicted of murder. 
 
 The .40-caliber pistol that investigators believe Lopez-Sanchez fired had been stolen from a federal agent in a car burglary in San Francisco in late June, said one source, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the case publicly. 
 
 Other sources said the weapon — which Lopez-Sanchez allegedly dumped in the bay before it was recovered — was apparently not the agent’s official gun. 
 
 Steinle’s death sparked outrage after it was revealed that Lopez-Sanchez had a long history of drug crimes and had been deported five times to Mexico, but was recently released from San Francisco County Jail rather than being turned over to federal immigration agents for a potential sixth deportation. 
 
 He was brought to San Francisco in March after serving 46 months at a federal prison in Victorville (San Bernardino County) for felony re-entry into the country. He had an old, outstanding warrant in the city, alleging that he fled marijuana charges in 1995. 
 
 According to court records, the case was old enough that the evidence had been purged by the time Lopez-Sanchez appeared in court on March 27. Prosecutors discharged the case, and Lopez-Sanchez remained in County Jail until April 15, when the Sheriff’s Department released him without alerting immigration. 
 
 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they had asked to be notified before Lopez-Sanchez’s release, so they could seek to deport him again. 
 
 S.F., state policy 
 
 The Sheriff’s Department said it had followed its own policy in not holding Lopez-Sanchez for immigration agents, as well as a 2013 city ordinance and a state law signed the same year by Gov. Jerry Brown. 
 
 Steinle’s parents did not attend Tuesday’s arraignment, but an uncle who was present shook and rocked during the proceedings and scoffed as Lopez-Sanchez declared he was not guilty. The uncle declined to comment outside court. 
 
 Gonzalez implored the media to look past the immigration debate raised by the case at the “ubiquitous nature of guns in our society.” 
 
 “Every day in the United States, innocent people die from gun accidents,” he said. “In contrast to that, I can say there are numerous studies that immigrants are far less likely to commit acts of violence than native-born persons.” 
 
 When asked about the immigration issue, Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the district attorney’s office, demurred and said, “Today’s about Kate.” 
 
 “It’s about this incredible family that has shown such strength during this incredibly difficult time,” he said. “It’s about bringing justice to that family and it’s about doing everything we ethically can to prosecute this case and bring the justice this family rightfully deserves.” 
 
 Assistant District Attorney Diana Garcia asked that Lopez-Sanchez be held without bail, while Gonzalez argued that he had the right to bail, even if he would not be able to afford it. 
 
 Judge Flores then set bail at $5 million after the prosecutor requested $10 million. Lopez-Sanchez is scheduled to return to court July 27. 
 
 Chronicle Staff Writer Jaxon Van Derbeken contributed to this story. 
 
 Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo ||||| Iowa City, Iowa (CNN) In Hillary Clinton 's first national interview of the 2016 race, she attacked her Republican rivals on immigration and dismissed the suggestion that the American people have a problem trusting her. 
 
 "People should and do trust me," she told CNN's Brianna Keilar. 
 
 She blamed the "barrage of attacks that are largely fomented by and coming from the right" for fueling a perception that trust is an area of vulnerability for her. 
 
 Clinton displayed little hesitation about attacking Republicans herself, saying that she is "very disappointed" in Donald Trump for his comments about immigrants and in the Republican Party for not condemning his remarks more quickly. 
 
 She then pivoted to skewering the entire GOP field for their immigration stance, saying, "They're on a spectrum of hostility, which I think is really regrettable in a nation of immigrants like ours." 
 
 The interview foreshadowed the Clinton that will hit the campaign trail in the coming months as election season heats up. She was occasionally defensive, especially when pressed on whether she has any responsibility for the public's mistrust in her. But she had no problem with going on the offense against her Republican challengers. 
 
 Clinton took direct aim at GOP rival Jeb Bush. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Hillary Clinton on Immigration and the GOP race Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Hillary Clinton on Immigration and the GOP race 02:09 
 
 "He doesn't believe in a path to citizenship. If he did at one time, he no longer does," she said. 
 
 The Bush campaign rebuffed Clinton's criticism and instead accused her of flip-flopping on immigration. 
 
 "Hillary Clinton will say anything to get elected and her numerous flip-flops on immigration prove it," said Emily Benavides, a Bush campaign spokeswoman, in a statement. 
 
 "As he outlined in his book on this issue, Gov. Bush believes in a conservative legislative solution to fix our broken immigration system that includes earned legal status for those currently in the country after they pay fines and taxes, learn English and commit no substantial crimes while securing our border," she said. 
 
 Clinton also blamed the city of San Francisco for mishandling the case of an undocumented immigrant who had been deported five times before killing a woman there -- in a sanctuary city where local law enforcement do not enforce federal immigration laws. 
 
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 "The city made a mistake, not to deport someone that the federal government strongly felt should be deported," she said. "I have absolutely no support for a city that ignores the strong evidence that should be acted on." 
 
 The full interview aired Tuesday on "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" and will re-air at 8 p.m. on "Anderson Cooper 360." 
 
 Pressed on why the public has a hard time trusting her, Clinton maintained she faced "the same kind of onslaught" in her two New York Senate campaigns and her confirmation as secretary of state, and said Republicans have sought to turn controversies like her use of a private email address and the Clinton Foundation's actions against her. 
 
 And that, Clinton said, is why national polls and swing-state surveys have found that a majority of voters say they don't see her as honest and trustworthy. 
 
 A Quinnipiac University Swing State poll found that by margins of 8 to 14 percentage points voters in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania are skeptical of Clinton's trustworthiness. 
 
 In Florida, 51% of voters hold the negative view of Clinton, compared to 43% who feel she is trustworthy. In Ohio, 53% of voters find Clinton not trustworthy, compared to 40% who do. And in Pennsylvania, 54% of voters don't find her honest, while 40% do. 
 
 "I think it's understandable that when questions are raised, people maybe are thinking about them and wondering about them," Clinton said. 
 
 "But I have every confidence that during the course of this campaign, people are going to know who will fight for them, who will be there when they need them, and that's the kind of person I am and that's what I will do, not only in a campaign but as president," she said. 
 
 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28. The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state was the first woman to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party. Hide Caption 1 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Before marrying Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here she attends Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her commencement speech at Wellesley's graduation ceremony in 1969 attracted national attention. After graduating, she attended Yale Law School. Hide Caption 2 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Rodham was a lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee, whose work led to impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in 1974. Hide Caption 3 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In 1975, Rodham married Bill Clinton, whom she met at Yale Law School. He became the governor of Arkansas in 1978. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Chelsea. Hide Caption 4 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Arkansas' first lady, now using the name Hillary Rodham Clinton, wears her inaugural ball gown in 1985. Hide Caption 5 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons celebrate Bill's inauguration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1991. He was governor from 1983 to 1992, when he was elected President. Hide Caption 6 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Bill Clinton comforts his wife on the set of "60 Minutes" after a stage light broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down in January 1992. Hide Caption 7 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In June 1992, Clinton uses a sewing machine designed to eliminate back and wrist strain. She had just given a speech at a convention of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. Hide Caption 8 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight During the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton jokes with her husband's running mate, Al Gore, and Gore's wife, Tipper, aboard a campaign bus. Hide Caption 9 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton accompanies her husband as he takes the oath of office in January 1993. Hide Caption 10 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons share a laugh on Capitol Hill in 1993. Hide Caption 11 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton unveils the renovated Blue Room of the White House in 1995. Hide Caption 12 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton waves to the media in January 1996 as she arrives for an appearance before a grand jury in Washington. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. The Clintons' business investment was investigated, but ultimately they were cleared of any wrongdoing. Hide Caption 13 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons hug as Bill is sworn in for a second term as President. Hide Caption 14 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The first lady holds up a Grammy Award, which she won for her audiobook "It Takes a Village" in 1997. Hide Caption 15 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons dance on a beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 1998. Later that month, Bill Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Hide Caption 16 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton looks on as her husband discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998. Clinton declared, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." In August of that year, Clinton testified before a grand jury and admitted to having "inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky, but he said it did not constitute sexual relations because they had not had intercourse. He was impeached in December on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. Hide Caption 17 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The first family walks with their dog, Buddy, as they leave the White House for a vacation in August 1998. Hide Caption 18 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight President Clinton makes a statement at the White House in December 1998, thanking members of Congress who voted against his impeachment. The Senate trial ended with an acquittal in February 1999. Hide Caption 19 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton announces in February 2000 that she will seek the U.S. Senate seat in New York. She was elected later that year. Hide Caption 20 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton makes her first appearance on the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Hide Caption 21 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Sen. Clinton comforts Maren Sarkarat, a woman who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attacks, during a ground-zero memorial in October 2001. Hide Caption 22 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton holds up her book "Living History" before a signing in Auburn Hills, Michigan, in 2003. Hide Caption 23 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton and another presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, applaud at the start of a Democratic debate in 2007. Hide Caption 24 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a rally in Unity, New Hampshire, in June 2008. She had recently ended her presidential campaign and endorsed Obama. Hide Caption 25 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama is flanked by Clinton and Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a news conference in Chicago in December 2008. He had designated Clinton to be his secretary of state. Hide Caption 26 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton, as secretary of state, greets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a meeting just outside Moscow in March 2010. Hide Caption 27 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons pose on the day of Chelsea's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010. Hide Caption 28 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In this photo provided by the White House, Obama, Clinton, Biden and other members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in May 2011. Hide Caption 29 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton checks her Blackberry inside a military plane after leaving Malta in October 2011. In 2015, The New York Times reported that Clinton exclusively used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state. The account, fed through its own server, raises security and preservation concerns. Clinton later said she used a private domain out of "convenience," but admits in retrospect "it would have been better" to use multiple emails. Hide Caption 30 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton arrives for a group photo before a forum with the Gulf Cooperation Council in March 2012. The forum was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hide Caption 31 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama and Clinton bow during the transfer-of-remains ceremony marking the return of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who were killed in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012. Hide Caption 32 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton ducks after a woman threw a shoe at her while she was delivering remarks at a recycling trade conference in Las Vegas in 2014. Hide Caption 33 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton, now running for President again, performs with Jimmy Fallon during a "Tonight Show" skit in September 2015. Hide Caption 34 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton testifies about the Benghazi attack during a House committee meeting in October 2015. "I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together," she said during the 11-hour hearing. "I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done." Months earlier, Clinton had acknowledged a "systemic breakdown" as cited by an Accountability Review Board, and she said that her department was taking additional steps to increase security at U.S. diplomatic facilities. Hide Caption 35 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders shares a lighthearted moment with Clinton during a Democratic presidential debate in October 2015. It came after Sanders gave his take on the Clinton email scandal. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America." Hide Caption 36 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton is reflected in a teleprompter during a campaign rally in Alexandria, Virginia, in October 2015. Hide Caption 37 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton walks on her stage with her family after winning the New York primary in April. Hide Caption 38 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight After Clinton became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, this photo was posted to her official Twitter account. "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want -- even president," Clinton said. "Tonight is for you." Hide Caption 39 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama hugs Clinton after he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The president said Clinton was ready to be commander in chief. "For four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline," he said, referring to her stint as his secretary of state. Hide Caption 40 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton arrives at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony in New York on September 11. Clinton, who was diagnosed with pneumonia two days before, left early after feeling ill. A video appeared to show her stumble as Secret Service agents helped her into a van. Hide Caption 41 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton addresses a campaign rally in Cleveland on November 6, two days before Election Day. She went on to lose Ohio -- and the election -- to her Republican opponent, Donald Trump. Hide Caption 42 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight After conceding the presidency to Trump in a phone call earlier, Clinton addresses supporters and campaign workers in New York on Wednesday, November 9. Her defeat marked a stunning end to a campaign that appeared poised to make her the first woman elected US president. Hide Caption 43 of 43 
 
 Asked whether she played a role in the sentiment reflected in polls that she's not trustworthy, Clinton said: "This has been a theme that has been used against me and my husband for many, many years. And at the end of the day, I think voters sort it all out." 
 
 She similarly dismissed questions about her use of a personal email address on a private server while serving as secretary of state. 
 
 Clinton said she turned over all the emails -- including some which show her using a secured fax machine, or asking for iced tea during meetings -- that had anything to do with public business, and that she broke no laws in sticking with one device because she's not technically savvy. 
 
 "This is being blown up with no basis in law or in fact. That's fine, I get it -- this is being, in effect, used by the Republicans in the Congress. OK," Clinton said. "But I want people to understand what the truth is, and the truth is, everything I did was permitted and I went above and beyond what was expected." 
 
 If elected president, Clinton said she doesn't have any plans to push for the closure of the Clinton Foundation -- which has faced criticism for accepting foreign contributions during her tenure as America's top diplomat. 
 
 "I have no plans to say or do anything about the Clinton foundation other than to say I am proud of it and I think for the good of the world, its work should continue," she said. 
 
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 The interview spanned a broad range of topics -- among them a discussion of adding a woman to the $10 bill. Clinton declined to select a favorite woman for the honor, but suggested a woman should instead go on a $20. 
 
 "I don't like the idea that as a compromise you would basically have two people on the same bill. One would be a woman. That sounds pretty second class to me," Clinton said. "So I think a woman should have her own bill." 
 
 Nor would she pick which Saturday Night Live actress, Amy Poehler or Kate McKinnon, plays the best Hillary Clinton. 
 
 "Amy's a friend of mine and Kate's doing a great job. You're not going to get me to pick one or the other," she said. "I think I'm the best Hillary Clinton." ||||| Authorities are investigating whether a gun associated with a Bureau of Land Management employee was used in the fatal shooting of a young woman on a tourist-heavy San Francisco pier, an agency spokesperson said. 
 
 "The matter is under investigation, and law enforcement is working to confirm the origin of the weapon," the spokesperson said in a statement. 
 
 Sources familiar with the investigation say the gun belonged to a federal agent and may have been stolen recently. It is unclear whether the firearm was a government-issued service weapon or a personally owned gun. 
 
 A lawyer for suspect Francisco Sanchez said at a Tuesday arraignment hearing that Sanchez meant the victim, Kate Steinle, 32, no harm. 
 
 "There is no motive whatsoever for this defendant to have caused any harm to the deceased," public defender Matt Gonzalez said in court. "He did not know her." 
 
 Gonzalez said it is "very likely that this was an accidental shooting." 
 
 Sanchez, 45, pleaded not guilty to murder and was held on $5 million bail, according to court records. He has been charged with one count of murder with enhancements for the use of a firearm, according to court records. 
 
 Sanchez will be back in court July 27, according to court records. 
 
 Earlier this week, Sanchez told ABC station KGO-TV in a jailhouse interview that he started wandering on Pier 14 Wednesday, July 1 after taking sleeping pills he found in a dumpster. He said he then picked up a gun that he found and it went off. 
 
 Courtesy of Steinle family 
 
 The case has sparked a debate about illegal immigration because Sanchez, an undocumented immigrant, has been deported several times to his native Mexico and Immigration and Customs Enforcement blamed the San Francisco police for not honoring an immigration detainer earlier in the year. 
 
 Sanchez has five previous convictions for re-entry after deportation, according to court records. He was on probation in Texas at the time of the shooting and served federal time for sneaking back into the country. 
 
 In an exclusive jailhouse interview, a KGO-TV reporter asked the alleged gunman, "Did you keep coming back to San Francisco because you knew that they wouldn't actively look for you to deport you?" 
 
 Sanchez responded, "Yes." 
 
 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had said in a statement that Sanchez was turned over to the San Francisco Police Department this past March on an outstanding drug warrant, and that the department requested that police notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement prior to his release so ICE officers could make arrangements to take custody. 
 
 However, the San Francisco Sheriff's Department said that it had no "legal basis" to hold Sanchez based on a federal immigration detainer, according to the Associated Press. A lawyer for the sheriff's department told the AP the city only turns over illegal immigrants if there's an active warrant for their arrest, so on April 15, after the local drug case closed, Sanchez was released. 
 
 In a statement Monday, San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee said the city's sanctuary policy "should not create a safe harbor for convicted, violent felons." 
 
 "I am concerned about the circumstances that led to the release of Mr. Sanchez," Lee's statement added. "All agencies involved, federal and local, need to conduct quick, thorough and objective reviews of their own departmental policies and the decisions they made in this case." 
 
 The San Francisco police union spoke out against the sanctuary policy, writing on its Facebook page Monday. 
 
 "A young innocent woman has been murdered in cold blood," the statement said. "He is an illegal alien not an undocumented immigrant and if he was where he belonged (Mexico) this innocent victim would still be alive." ||||| SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A law enforcement official says the weapon used in the shooting death of a woman on a San Francisco pier belonged to a federal agent — the latest twist in a case that has become a flashpoint in the country's debate over immigration. 
 
 San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, left, talks to members of the media after Francisco Sanchez' arraignment Tuesday, July 7, 2015, in San Francisco. Prosecutors have charged Sanchez, a Mexican... (Associated Press) 
 
 Assistant Director of Field Operations, Enforcement and Removal Operations at the?U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security Philip T. Miller testifies before the... (Associated Press) 
 
 San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi gestures during an interview Monday, July 6, 2015, in San Francisco. Mirkarimi has defended the release of Francisco Sanchez from jail on April 15, who is now accused... (Associated Press) 
 
 Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., left, shakes hands with Associate Director of Refuee, Asylum, and International Operations at U.S. Citizenship... (Associated Press) 
 
 Francisco Sanchez, center, is lead out of the courtroom by San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, right, and Assistant District Attorney Diana Garciaor, left, after his arraignment at the Hall of... (Associated Press) 
 
 Francisco Sanchez walks into the court for his arraignment at the Hall of Justice on Tuesday, July 7, 2015, in San Francisco. Prosecutors have charged the Mexican immigrant with murder in the waterfront... (Associated Press) 
 
 San Francisco Public Defenders Jeff Adachi, left, and Matt Gonzalez, right, talks to members of the media after Francisco Sanchez' arraignment Tuesday, July 7, 2015, in San Francisco. Prosecutors have... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - This undated photo provided by the San Francisco Police Department shows Francisco Sanchez. The fatal shooting of a woman at a sightseeing pier has put San Francisco under an uncomforable and nasty... (Associated Press) 
 
 The official, who had been briefed on the matter, said Tuesday that a check of the gun's serial number shows it belonged to a federal agent. 
 
 The official — who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case and spoke on condition of anonymity — declined to elaborate. 
 
 The San Francisco Police Department, which is investigating the case, refused to comment on the disclosure. 
 
 The suspected gunman, Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez, has been deported to his native Mexico five times and is suspected of living in the United States illegally when Kathryn Steinle, 32, was gunned down last week while on an evening stroll with her father along San Francisco's popular waterfront area. 
 
 Federal officials transferred Sanchez to San Francisco's jail in March to face a 20-year-old marijuana charge after Sanchez completed his latest prison term for illegally entering the country. 
 
 The San Francisco sheriff, citing the city's "sanctuary city" policy, released Sanchez in April after prosecutors dropped the drug charge, despite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement request to hold him for federal authorities so deportation proceedings could begin. 
 
 Sanchez pleaded not guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder. 
 
 He told two television stations who interviewed him in jail that he found the gun used in Steinle's killing wrapped in a shirt on the pedestrian pier she was walking on. Sanchez said the gun went off in his hands, and his public defender, Matt Gonzalez, said Tuesday that the San Francisco woman's death appeared accidental. 
 
 Regardless of the reason behind Steinle's death, the shooting has touched off criticism from leading Republican lawmakers — and from top Democrats, including both of California's U.S. senators. 
 
 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told CNN that San Francisco was wrong to ignore the ICE detainer request and release Sanchez from custody. 
 
 "The city made a mistake, not to deport someone that the federal government strongly felt should be deported," Clinton said. 
 
 Sen. Dianne Feinstein called on San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to start cooperating with federal immigration officials who want to deport felons such as Sanchez. 
 
 "I strongly believe that an undocumented individual, convicted of multiple felonies and with a detainer request from ICE, should not have been released," Feinstein said. 
 
 The mayor's office said it has reached out to Homeland Security officials to determine if there's a way to cooperate while still upholding the city's sanctuary policy. 
 
 "Mayor Lee shares the senator's concerns surrounding the nature of Mr. Sanchez's transfer to San Francisco and release," said Christine Falvey, a spokeswoman for the mayor. 
 
 Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, also from Northern California, said she asked Gov. Jerry Brown if state law was followed in Sanchez's release. 
 
 "For decades, I have supported deporting violent criminals, and I have always believed that sanctuary should not be given to felons," Boxer said. 
 
 San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi has defended Sanchez's release and the city law requiring it to ignore ICE detainer requests. The sheriff said ICE could have obtained a warrant or court order to keep Sanchez in custody. 
 
 "ICE knew where he was," Mirkarimi said Monday. 
 
 State and federal Republicans, meanwhile, said they would look into the matter. 
 
 Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who chairs the Senate's homeland security committee, criticized federal officials and demanded to know why Sanchez was not deported. 
 
 "Does that make any sense to you?" Johnson demanded to know at a hearing Tuesday. "Because I'll tell you it doesn't make any sense to the American public." 
 
 Republican state Sen. Jeff Stone said he would introduce legislation in Sacramento to require cities to comply with ICE detainer requests. 
 
 At Sanchez's arraignment Tuesday, prosecutor Dianna Garcia argued against releasing Sanchez on bail, saying, "This was an act of random violence, shooting an innocent victim in the back." 
 
 The judge set bail at $5 million, which Gonzalez said will keep Sanchez jailed pending trial. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Amy Taxin in Los Angeles, Janie Har in San Francisco and Erica Werner in Washington contributed to this report.
– Another twist in the Francisco Sanchez case: The gun that the murder suspect claims he found wrapped in a T-shirt on a bench belonged to a federal agent and was stolen in a recent car break-in, sources tell the San Francisco Chronicle. The sources say the firearm wasn't the agent's official gun, and ABC News reports that the Bureau of Land Management is investigating whether the gun belonged to one of its employees. Sanchez, who claims the gun went off accidentally when he picked it up, killing 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder yesterday, the AP reports. Sanchez has been deported from the US five times, and San Francisco's decision not to turn him over to federal authorities for deportation when a drug charge was dropped in April has been strongly criticized by lawmakers and presidential candidates, including Hillary Clinton, who told CNN yesterday that the "city made a mistake, not to deport someone that the federal government strongly felt should be deported." At yesterday's hearing, Sanchez's public defender said the shooting appeared accidental and argued that the media should look at the "ubiquitous nature of guns in our society" instead of the immigration issue, the Chronicle reports.