SAN FRANCISCO – Jury selection has begun in the trial of the man accused of fatally shooting a 32-year-old woman on a San Francisco pier, which touched off a national immigration debate.
Jose Ines Garcia Zarate says he accidentally fired the shot that killed Kate Steinle. The 54-year-old Garcia Zarate had been deported five times prior to the shooting.
Court records show that lawyers began summoning the first of 1,000 potential jurors Monday to the San Francisco courthouse to fill out questionnaires. Possible jurors are being asked if they can sit through a lengthy trial or have moral qualms about the case.
The questionnaire process is expected to take two weeks. Lawyers will then spend about two weeks questioning potential jurors in court about their views on immigration and other issues in an effort to seat an impartial jury.
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