>> the first inkling you had that anything had happened at a qt where your son worked, was on our website? >> well, i had gotten an call from my ex-wife that something had happened at grant's qt, had i heard from him? i couldn't find anything out. i tried calling him, i tried calling the store. no answer. and that's when i went ahead and pulled up fox news. and, yeah, that's the very first report that i had seen. >> we did not have a name at police called you later that day? >> no, i actually left work. i told my boss, hey, i got to go. >> did you have a feeling, steve? >> i did. i drove to the qt. and obviously they had the parking lot taped off. i couldn't get in, so i pulled up on to the rocks at the edge of the qt property.

saw the jeep pull up and he was already getting out of his car. and at that point i knew. >> this is obviously brought to light, and, again, reemphasizes debate we're having on illegal immigration. when somebody says to you, well, steve, these people are just coming here for a better life, how do you respond to them? >> some are. absolutely, some are. but others, others are wanting commit crimes and they want to be able to live the high life because they can get rid of them. they can get away with it, i should say. we have a certain amount of them that are abusing our system. it's not right. it's not fair. they have no right to be here if they're going to commit the crimes that they're committing. >> you and i discussed before the program, and i want to get this out there right off the

citizenship for people here illegally. you are not a hater. >> absolutely not. >> you want to get that out there. bebecause people will immediately paint people who bring up this topic as haters. >> absolutely. >> is it not reasonable for the united states of america to say, if you want to be here and you're doing the right thing we welcome you with open arms. path to citizenship, we'll deal with that later. you're okay. we're going to deal with it. you had a clean record. if you're a troublemaker, we want you out of he. is that unreasonable? >> absolutely not. >> why can't people talk about this? >> we have heard the argument over the years that these people do the jobs that we don't want to do, or that nobody wants to do. i'm not a big fan of that attitude. why are they afraid to talk about it? you know, i can't answer that question. >> you get painted as a racist if you talk about it.

huge population of illegals in this state alone, that yeah, you can get painted as a racist. so people tend to just ignore the problem like it's going to go away. >> you have started a push with congressman matt salmon who represents you in mesa, that's where you live, grant's law, tell me about it. >> grant's law is basically in a nutshell that these illegals that commit vi and it doesn't even have to be violent crimes -- these illegals that commit these crimes never see freedom or free soil again. they are -- whether they're convicted or not, if they're arrested for a violent crime they are basically once local law enforcement is done with them, they immediately get taken into custody by i.c.e.

list as far as deportation proceedings. that will happen within 90 days. and then they are deported. >> and if they return after that? >> well, there's no real law at this point, matt salmon is also writing kate's law, which deals with-- >> kate steinle in san francisco, who we're going to talk about later. let me take you back, before we get into this, get tape number two ready, if you will. 29-year-old apolinar altamirano, the young man who killed your son, by all accounts, he hasn't gone through the process yet. but it's pretty clear on the video tape what happened. this was over a pack of cigarettes. >> worse yet, it was over -- grant wasn't counting change fast enough. >> he brought in change that night. it was 4:00 in the morning. he brought in that change in a jar. >> dumped it on the counter.

i guess the exchange summed up to be what, you're not going to give me my cigarettes? grant responded, i need to count your change. and at that point he pulled a gun on grant. grant offered up the cigarettes. here you go. and altamirano went ahead and shot him in the face. >> twice. >> i don't know about twice. but i know he was shot in the face. >> you lose your son. you know your son has been killed in the convenience he's 21 years old. you're dealing with the stunning news of that, and i'm sure you're numb. when did you first start to learn about who had killed your son? >> it was later in the day. the police had come to the house. and they had told me that they did have -- they did have altamirano in custody. >> were you asking questions? who is this guy? why did he do this? >> i wasn't able to.

this. >> they were just volunteering. a little bit later in the day i had had another visit from mesa police department. and that's when, you know, it was let out that he was an illegal. >> did your sadness turn to anger pretty quickly or were you just still numb? >> i was still numb. the anger came a couple weeks later. >> i want to take you to tape number two. this is apolinar altamirano. the 29-year-old who has been charged with shooting and killing 21-year-old grant ronnebeck. take a look. >> your full name, please? >> apolinar altamirano. >> the accused killer didn't say much in court and he kept quiet when he was interviewed by police, but security cameras captured what happened at the quiktrip near stapley and broadway, around 4 tuesday morning. police say the suspect, 29-year-old apolinar altamirano, brought in a jar of change to pay for a pack of cigarettes. as the victim, 21-year-old grant ronnebeck, was counting the change, the suspect said

give me my cigarettes? after the victim told him the money had to be counted first, altamirano pulled out a gun. court documents show the victim gave him the cigarettes, but police say altamirano opened fire anyway. the suspect then slowly walked behind the counter, stepped over the victim and took several packs of cigarettes and slowly walked out of the store. altamirano pleaded guilty to a 2012 burglary-related charge and had recently finished probation. in court the prosecutor talked >> he's in the country illegally. does not have status to be here. was given bond by the federal immigration authorities while they had a hearing to see whether he would be deported from the country, and during that period of time is when he committed these. we believe there's probable cause that he committed these offenses. >> steve ronnebeck, grant ronnebeck's father, is our guest on newsmaker sunday.

about this whole issue of immigration that you knew of? did he articulate it ever? >> he was kind of like me. we had talked about it in passing. we never had any in-depth conversations. he knew that they cost the taxpayers money. you know? we provide their health care at times. so there was -- there was a general -- it bothers us, but, again, until it affects you directly you don't hav you don't have any feelings towards it. >> i want to roll tape number four. this had happened before grant's death. this is brandon mendoza, a mesa police officer, killed by a drunk wrong way driver. mendoza's crash became politicized when his mom penned a later to president obama. let's see tape number four if we can here. she wrote to president obama

son's killer had been in the country illegally. he had been convicted of a crime in colorado. authorities let him go on a lenient sentence. there's brandon mendoza. you had heard about this story before this ever happened to your son. do you remember thinking about this? >> i remember thinking how tragic it was. >> senseless. >> absolutely senseless. absolutely. >> you call thespr crimes. >> absolutely they are. absolutely. and i expressed to you before the interview, you know, people are going to say all murder is preventable, all these crimes are preventable. but in this select area, in this select group, had they not been here, had they been deported and if they had reentered, had they been jailed, my son would be alive.

kate steinle would be alive. >> steve, you -- have you been political in the past? have you taken politics very seriously? because your brother, now, i guess it was your brother, who testified on capitol hill about this exact thing. he was very outspoken about grant's death. >> i never really was political. i am now. i see things that are wrong, as far as kate steinle, officer mendoza. there's a young gentleman, named glovach, in houston that was executed through the window of his car. >> in traffic. >> in traffic. after he was taking his girlfriend home. jamil shaw, another one that was executed in california. >> right. >> the two officers-- >> his father's been very outspoken. >> yep, jamil shaw. >> steve, who do you blame

what is going on? >> well, you know, the system is flawed. okay? that's the biggest thing. i.c.e. being overloaded and in some cases not doing what they're supposed to be doing is definitely a problem. unfortunately i'm going to have to call out our president. that his dreamer act and his partially to blame. >> well, the word on the street, let's be very honest about this. basically right now the policy stands as this. unless you are a really serious criminal you frankly face no threat of deportation right now under the current system where we are right now. >> that's correct. >> pretty much i.c.e. has been told to lay off. nobody's going to deport anyone unless they are charged with a serious crime and first of all, they'd have to go through the system here before that would ever happen, right?

so, the man who killed your son, tell me a little bit about what he was in for before he was released, because i think people will find this very interesting. he was a very violent man. >> he had been arrested for basically kidnapping, sexually assaulting a woman for a week, him and another man. burglary. >> was this a drug deal? what was this? drug repayment? non-payment? >> drug-related. that's all i can tell you. but they basically raped this woman for a week. held her hostage. burglarized the apartment. and this was an associate of theirs. this was an associate's girlfriend. this associate's in jail when they did this, okay? and they pled it down to simple burglary. felony burglary. and they released him to i.c.e. he never did any real prison time. they released him to i.c.e.

granted him a $10,000 bond and let him out. >> did he have gang affiliations, do you know of? >> in the one court document that i saw, he was a self-proclaimed member of the sinaloa cartel, and the mexican mafia. >> not the kind of person you want in your community. >> absolutely not. >> tell me a little bit about the-- before we go to break, with you a little bit about this guy. >> the only thing that they were able to share with me is that he's shown no remorse. >> none. >> none. >> we're going to take a break here on newsmaker sunday. steve ronnebeck, who lost his son, grant, shot and killed. grant was working at a qt that i think he'd been working at for several years before this happened, since he was maybe

he was 21 years old. shot and killed by a man who was in the country illegally, who basically executed him at 4 in the morning back in january. we're back with steve and his story and his push to try to fix this as newsmaker sunday continues right after this.

>> music >> back on newsmaker sunday. the father of a young man who suspect in the qt shooting. 4 a.m. on january 22nd, 21-year-old mesa convenience store clerk grant ronnebeck was shot and killed by that man, who was in the country illegally, 29-year-old apolinar altamirano. he had an extensive violent criminal history. should not have been in the united states by any measure, should not have been roaming the streets, by any measure. yet he was. and a young man is dead because of it. steve ronnebeck, grant's

newsmaker sunday. let's roll tape number six. this would have been several months after you lost your son. we learn about kate steinle, in san francisco, this beautiful young woman, shot and killed, again by a guy in the country illegally, who was a total troublemaker, who gets a hold of a gun, and whether it was an accident or not, shoots and kills her. and she dies right before her father out on the pier in san francisco. >> it's absolutely heartbreaking. >> when you hear these stories, now, steve, what goes through your mind? what do you think and what do you think should be done? >> well, first thing's -- the first thing, it just opens that wound over grant. i mean, it just reopens it. it's just absolutely tragic and heartbreaking that it's continuing. it's not getting any better.

it's happening. and it's happening more often. what should be done about it, we need to -- we need to put a stop to this immigration policy that says it's okay for these people to commit crime and to go back to walking our streets. it's just-- >> a preventable crime. >> it's a preventable crime. it's got to stop. >> i have to ask you about then, a few weeks ago, donald trump comes on the scene. this is a protest outside of the convention center in downtown phoenix. trump, on immigration, made this statement when he announced for president, this is a quote, when mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. they're not sending you. they're not sending you. they're sending people who have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems with us. they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists and some, i assume, are good people.

what did you say? what was your reaction? >> you know, i'm going to use the young lady that testified with my brother, i'm going use her quote, if that's okay. we were heard. >> we were heard. >> we were heard. somebody heard us. >> were you surprised that it tapped into a deep reservoir of discontent among some really say, finally someone has got the courage to say we have got a real problem with this. we have been very accommodating. maybe overly accommodating. especially when it comes to bad apples. >> absolutely. and it's just absolutely wonderful that some of these lawmakers are now standing up and they're saying enough is enough. >> are you kind of cheering for donald trump in this thing?

anyone, as far as who i'd like to see win. >> but he's at least raised an issue that for many had kind of gone off the radar. >> oh, absolutely. and it completely did go off the radar until kate steinle. some of this had been swept under the rug. and even you didn't hear about the young man in houston that was killed shortly after grant was. that's the policy trying to keep it from coming out. soon brought this to the forefront. he has made this an issue that -- to get addressed. >> have you talked to kate steinle's family, have you talked to brandon mendoza's mom? is there a group of you who kind of commiserate about this failed policy? >> i have not had a chance to talk to the steinle family, my brother has. i have had a chance to talk to mrs. mendoza. there's a group called the

us together about a month ago. just a wonderful group of people. and they're all about this problem. >> we have a little time after the break. but i want to give you a moment to talk about your son. tell me about grant. >> grant was -- he was just one of those kids that did anything for family, did anything for friends. he -- and i didn't realize it until his funeral, that he had so many people that loved him and that he had touched so many people. we had gotten messages from just simple customers of qt that your son would brighten my day. even if i was having a bad day, your son could make me smile. >> grant also as i heard during the memorial, would take care of customers sometimes who couldn't pay the bill.

>> i heard that. >> i have heard that that was true. >> doesn't surprise you. >> no. no. >> do you believe that these efforts politically will bear fruit? the work with matt salmon that you're doing to try to pass grant's law and change some of this madness? >> i have to believe it. it's, it's my way of honoring my son. not too many people know, but grant was actually paying about a third of our household to give me and grant's brother a little bit, make it easier, give us a little bit better life and make things a little bit easier for us. so obviously i can't repay him monetarily, so this is how i need to repay him. >> we're back with steve ronnebeck who lost his son, grant, in a senseless, preventable killing at the qt in january in mesa. we're back on newsmaker sunday in a moment.

>> music >> final thoughts from steve ronnebeck who lost his son, grant, in that qt shooting. a young man in the country illegally, with an extensive criminal record, killed his son. shot him in the face over a pack of cigarettes. what should happen to this guy now? >> well, justice, obviously. >> what would that be? what would justice be, steve? >> well, you know, the consensus is that the death penalty is on the table. >> it's a senseless, depraved, merciless killing, and premeditated. >> and premeditated, was the big thing. so, the death penalty is definitely the general consensus. >> he's shown no remorse. >> not a bit. >> do you blame him or the politicians for allowing this to happen?

absolutely both. >> do you believe we're entering a point in our country where we're going to actually going to deal with this issue? do you think we're getting to a critical mass where something has to give? >> absolutely we are. it has to happen. something has to happen. you know, we're going to be pushing overpopulation in the next 50 to 100 years. we have to do something. >> and i want to put it on the record again, you're not a hater. >> no. you even favor a path to citizenship for people who are here legally. >> absolutely. >> you're just saying, when there's a criminal element, you've got to get rid of them. and maybe as a nation, we have the right to be selective about who we do admit and who we don't admit. >> absolutely we do. absolutely. these criminals are people that we don't need. they aren't productive in our society. >> 30 seconds, what would you like to tell folks out there?

>> this is something that can happen to anyone. you always dread that knock on the door in the middle of the night that one of your children may be hurt, so on and so forth. but what i'd say is keep hold of the loved ones, keep them close. if you'd like more information on grant's law, h.r. 2942, you can go to youtube and see the press conference with me, matt salmon and sheriff arpaio. kate's law, there's also a video on youtu f law. i'd really like it if somebody would take a look at it. >> steve, thank you for being here. i'm so sorry for the loss of your son. >> thank you, sir. >> we'll see you next week on newsmaker sunday.

- as one of the caribbean's top destinations, the dominican republic is not exactly off the travel trail. indeed, tourism is booming, so much so that today it's very possible to go and not even pay the capital city of santo domingo a cursory visit. yes, santo domingo, like most capital cities, is hectic and noisy. but it also boasts a preserved history,

from culturally unique to downright surprising. i'm not afraid to admit that i like santo domingo, and up next i'll show you why. this is "raw travel: santo domingo." ? travel. for some, it's a luxurious escape. or maybe, an adrenaline-filled adventure. but if you're like me, it's a precious opportunity to discover and to give back. it's time to get real. it's time to get raw. it's time for "raw travel." the dominican republic, or dr as many call it, has no shortage of quaint, quiet little beach towns where you can chill. but what i like about santo domingo is the killer concentration of stimuli. you don't have to venture far to get a taste, literally, of dominican culture. what do you sell, a morir? come on. morir so?ando. leche. - leche y fruta. - y fruta.