angel melendez: gang affiliation is not a grounds of inadmissibility by itself.unaccompanied alien child can present themselves at the border to dhs authorities, and we would still be required to place them. sen. charles grassley: the rise of this activity and the rise of unaccompanied children is very closely connected with the government not doing its job. lisa: senator charles grassley chairs the judiciary committee that oversees the billion-dollar unaccompanied minor program. he convened a hearing last june on the topic. is taxpayer money being well-spent on this resettlement program? sen. grassley: it's not being handled well because we find too large of a number of these kids ending up in that environment of gang activity. lisa: as operation matador continues to roll up ms-13 gang members, liz alvarado continues to stand watch at brentwood high school most afternoons. liz alvarado: i'm outside at 2:30. and i watch them walk all the way home, from where i sit. i want them to be safe. i want them to go home to their parents. sharyl: "ms" comes from mara salva

according to lyanne melendez many people in the courtroom seemed shocked. this was not the outcome they anticipated, many people did not anticipate this. >> it's surprising, yes. what it tells me is that the jury rejected, obviously, an intent to fire the gun, or an intent to kill ms. steinle. >> we have to go back to lyanne. we keep interrupting you. let's go back to lyanne melendez with more details right now. >> you know, expressing my sincere condolences to the steinle family, i hope that they do not interpret this verdict as diminishing in any way the awful tragedy that occurred, and that their family has suffered. this jury's verdict should be respected. they heard the evidence. they deliberated as a group. they heard readback testimony. they looked at the physical evidence. and they rendered a verdict to the best of their abilities in accordance with the law. i want to thank the public defender of san francisco who has given us support throughout the trial. he's given us good advice. and we're very grateful for his assistance and help and support. fo

lyanne melendez outside the hall of justice. >> quite a day. >> yes. and i can tell you everyone in that courtroom was really surprised. we were left with a lot of questions. for example, how do you find a person not guilty of murder yet guilty of possessing a firearm. that's what i asked the public de defender. jeff adachi. >> right. the crime of position of a gun only requires that the person knowing knowingly possess a firearm. only requirement. if the jury found that mr. garcia zarate knew that he was possessing a firearm and that there was no intent for him to hurt anybody or shoot anyone, that's completely consistent with them finding not guilty on the principal counts and guilty on the count of possession. >> reporter: took the jury about 28 hours or so to come up with the verdict. defendant jose inez garcia zarate eventually got up and hugged his attorney matt gonzalez who always maintained that client found the stolen gun at pier wrapped in piece of cloth. picked it up, picked gun up and went off accidentally. here's gonzalez ased spokesperson

live from city hall, lyanne melendez, abc7 news. >>> you may have felt or heard the strong winds that battered much of the bay area today. abc7 news was in emeryville where people just braced themselves against the steady gusts. fairly powerful at powell street plaza, believed to be responsible for knocking eucalyptus tree onto power lines. warm springs road in glen ellen closing the road a couple of hours and knocking out power to handful of residents. drew tuma with more. >> the winds active today and continuing tonight. tam cam is moving in the wind. branches swaying, camera is shaking. peak gusts, oakland at 39 miles per hour, san francisco 31, 36 in napa and concord, 28 in palo alto. it's breezy to windy across the region. 36-mile-per-hour gusts in fairfield. even along the coast, half moon bay, winds gusting to 32 miles per hour. will remain active the next 12 hours. for that fact we have wind advisory lasting until tomorrow morning, 10:00 in the morning. especially in north and east bay hills. big threat tonight is more trees coming down and possibility of power outages, we'll

lyanne melendez outside the hall of justice. >> quite a day. >> yes.an tell you everyone in that courtroom was really surprised. we were left with a lot of questions. for example, how do you find a person not guilty of murder yet guilty of possessing a firearm. that's what i asked de defender. jeff adachi. >> right. the crime of position of a gun only requires that the person knowing knowingly possess a firearm. only requirement. if the jury found that mr. garcia zarate knew that he was possessing a firearm and that there was no intent for him to hurt anybody or shoot anyone, that's completely consistent with them finding not guilty on the principal counts and guilty on the count of possession. >> reporter: took the jury about 28 hours or so to come up with the verdict. defendant jose inez garcia zarate eventually got up and hugged his attorney matt gonzalez who always maintained that client found the stolen gun at pier wrapped in piece of cloth. picked it up, picked gun up and went off accidentally. here's gonzalez ased spokesperson for the d.a.'s off

in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >>> the fire that just won't quit. the monster in ventura county shows no real signs of slowing down. we are there live as it burns into its second week. >>> ac transit unveils a new prototype bus and they want you to give it a test ride for free. >>> i'm meteorologist drew tuma. starting off the week on a mild note. while i'm tracking a cold night on the way, i'm also tracking our next chance for some showers. the timing ahead in the accuweather forecast. >>> all right. paying for college without going broke. we do have some ideas for you. >> we >>> firefighters rescued a dog this morning during this fire in sunnyvale. the fire started at about 2:00 a.m. at the home on pyrus way. the family inside the house made it out safely. most of the damage is to the garage as you can see in this video. the firefighters say the family couldn't stay there today. no one was hurt. the cause of the fire is under investigation. >>> and those fire crews battling the southern california wildfires are getting some help from the state nat

and it all started with a fight inside a gaithersburg high school bathroom. 16-year-old deanna melendez sysz she wanted to tell her story after seeing this video of other fights at the school. as news4's chris gordon reports, her mother is not happy with the response from administrators. >> report on students fighting at gaithersburg high school, erika melendez e-mailed news4 saying her 16-year-old daughter deanna was attacked by a student in a school rest room in mid october. deanna suffered a serious concussion that is keeping her out of school for at least two months. >> it affected my balance. so sometimes i can get really dizzy which will cause me to get really tired. >> we didn't send her to school to be damaged. and the school has never offered an apology, never called to see how she was doing. >> reporter: the montgomery county school system tells me it is willing to work with the melendez family to place deanna once doctors clear her to return to school. >> we will take all necessary steps to make sure that she feels safe in our school system because that's what every student d

miguel melendez - "estaba yo en el puente y la policía lo estaba sacando.o llevaron." - el escenario fue las aguas cercanas a la cala acutica de san francisco, por el muelle 45... el salvaje encuentro ocurri alrededor de las dos de la tarde cuando el hombre nadaba solo. "el nadador tenía heridas profundas, lo pude ver en la parte alta de su brazo y la sangre se le escurría. " - el len marino us sus dientes para agarrar a su vctima, de acuerdo a la polica, dejndole una mordedura en la parte superior del brazo derecho. - el hombre de 56 aÑos de edad ... qued lesionado y el animal sigui su camino... fue cuando el capitn de un velero se percat de la seria situacin del nadador, lo ayud a subir a la embarcacin y llam a las autoridades. sb autoridades - "lo recibimos en la orilla...." - segn el oficial de polica de san francisco ???, recibieron al hombre en la orilla del muelle y por su sangrado abundante, requiri un torniquete para detener la hemorragia. - segundos antes del ataque, nform el oficial, el nadador trat de alejar al animal, el cual nad hacia l, lanzn

. >> reporter: deanna melendez has trouble with her balance and sometimes needs help walking. she suffered a serious concussion when she was attacked in a girls room at gaithersburg high school in october. she says the other student began an argument that became a fight. >> so, she hit me and i hit her, and then i remember going into the wall in between the sink because i didn't want to fall in and i remember hitting the back of my head on the cinder block wall. >> reporter: deanna's mother e-mailed news4 after seeing our report of student videos of fights at gaithersburg high school. she says her daughter was hurt in a similar fight, but one that was not caught on camera. she claims that school administrators have not been helpful or sympathetic to her daughter's injuries which have kept deanna out of school since the fight. >> she came home with one side of her face bruised. she couldn't remember much of what happened in the fight. ever since then it's been just a barrage of -- i'm sorry -- barrage of physical therapy. >> reporter: the montgomery county school system says it

here's abc7 news reporter lyanne melendez. >> reporter: a group of oakland city employees gathered in front of city hall hoping for a last-minute deal. it was not to be. as it stands, the city has agreed to a 4% salary increased the first year of the contract but rejected any increases during the second year. in our studios, mary lee was defending her position. >> we have not reached impasse. we have been good-faith, negotiating for more than seven months and both sides agree that we have not reached an impasse so technically, this is an lawful strike and we'll be filing an unfair labor practice tomorrow. >> reporter: including lib bear generals, cleanup crews and early childhood education workers and nearly every public worker in oakland. 911 dispatchers are not allowed to strike. they continue to complain about how city departments are understaffed and rely on temporary, part-time workers. >> we don't receive the health care plan that full-time and permanent part-time workers receive and we are exempt interest contributions to the city's retirement plan. >> reporter: the union is al

. >> lyanne melendez live at city hall with more on the political climate there. >> reporter: now we have six. mayor ed lee's memorial was yesterday but any political analyst will tell you efforts to take his place started days ago. london breed is interim mayor, left by back door to avoid talking about potential run for the office. regardless i asked her. >> people caught up in the frenzy and want to know and be the first. fact of the matter is we lost our mayor, focus has to be on taking care of san francisco. >> reporter: long-time political observer says there's a lot of positioning going on right now. >> every politician in town is saying appropriate calming, somber, solemn words about the passing of the word and backroom conversations are nonstop. >> reporter: two supervisors are circulating, mark farrell and jane kim at same event as breed. >> strongly considering it and will be making a decision shortly. >> reporter: mark leno turned in papers last thursday and allison alyoetto did so today. another candidate is assemblyman dave chu. june 5th, 2018. anyone thinking of running

in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >> congressman john conniers is retiring, and he says he's leaving for health reasons. it also comes after accusations of sexual misconduct. after the least five women so far have accused of longest serving current member of the house of verbal abuse and sexual advances. he denies the allegations but admits paying a secret $27,000 settlement to a former staffer. he's not being afforded due process to defend himself against the allegations. >> i'm retiring today. my legacy will continue through my children. >> a special election will now be held, conyers endorsed his 27-year-old son john to take his seat. the great nephew of michigan state senator, has also declared his intention to run. >> president trump and the rnc are getting their full backing to roy moore, with the state's special election one week away. white house press secretary sarah sanders said today, the president finds the sexual misconduct allegations against roy concerning, but would rather have someone that supports his agenda. >> we want strong borders, we want stopping

in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >> congressman john conniers is retiring, and he says comes after accusations of sexual misconduct. after the least five women so far have accused of longest serving current member of the house of verbal abuse and sexual advances. he denies the allegations but admits paying a secret $27,000 settlement to a former staffer. he's not being afforded due process to defend himself against the allegations. >> i'm retiring today. my legacy will continue through my children. >> a special election will now be held, conyers endorsed his 27-year-old son john to take his seat. the great nephew of michigan state senator, has also declared his intention to run. >> president trump and the rnc are getting their full backing to roy moore, with the state's special election one week away. white house press secretary sarah sanders said today, the president finds the sexual misconduct allegations against roy concerning, but would rather have someone that supports his agenda. >> we want strong borders, we want stopping crime, we want to have the things we repr

we'll begin with "abc 7 news" reporter leean melendez who covered the trial from the beginning. >> reporteryes, and i can tell you everyone in the courtroom was really surprised and we were left with a lot of questions. for example, how do you find a person not guilty of murder yet guilty of possessing a firearm? now, that was a question that i asked the public defender, and here is what jeff adachi told me. >> the crime of possession of a gun only requires that the person knowingly possess a firearm. that's the only requirement. so if the jury found that mr. garcia's zate knew that he was possessing a firearm and that there was no intent for him to hurt anybody or shoot anyone, that's completely consistent with them finding not guilty on the principle counts and guilty on the count of possession. >> reporter: and it took the jury about i'd say 28 hours or so to come up with this verdict. the defendant, hosea garcia zarate got up and hugged his attorney matt gonzalez, who maintained that his client found the stolen gun at the pier wrapped in a piece of cloth, picked it up, picked the gun up

here's abc7 news reporter lyanne melendez. >> reporter: a group of oakland city employees gathered in front of city hall hoping for a last-minute deal. it was not to be. as it stands, the city has agreed to a 4% salary increased the first year of the contract but rejected any increases during the second year. in our studios, mary lee was defending her position. >> we have not reached impasse. we have been good-faith, negotiating for more than seven months and both sides agree that we have not reached an impasse so technically, this is an lawful strike and we'll be filing an unfair labor practice tomorrow. >> reporter: including lib bear generals, cleanup crews and early childhood education workers and nearly every public worker in oakland. 911 dispatchers are not allowed to strike. they continue to complain about how city departments are understaffed and rely on temporary, part-time workers. >> we don't receive the health care plan that full-time and permanent part-time workers receive and we are exempt interest contributions to the city's retirement plan. >> reporter: the union is al

in san francisco, leighian melendez, abc7 news. >> london breed now becomes san francisco's first female african-american mayor. to learn more about her, look for this story on our website, abc7news.com. >> police are investigating the vandalism of a citiman's car as a hate crime. you can see what was done to it here. he says racist graffiti was spray painted on it after an argument in a grocery store parking lot. abc7 news asker eric thomas has the story. >> reporter: steve woolson's suv goes in the shop tomorrow to have these ugly words stripped off. >> i've got to spend $500 for for a deductible that i don't have. i have to get this off my car. >> reporter: the #dt is bad enough. he believes that stand for donald trump. >> the other side is really offensive. >> reporter: that's when the "n" word is written with the member go home. >> i'd rather them stab my tires and break my window because now this is a rolling message. >> reporter: he came to the mall monday night to do some grocery shopping, but as he tried to park his car he found a tight squeeze, so he asked the driver next to hi

abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez has more. >> reporter: by now, all this wildfire protection geard by firefighters in novato was meant to be stored, ready for the next fire season. >> the clothing we wear, obviously a helmet, gloves. we have a fire resistive jacket and our web gear. >> reporter: the tac 3 engine used by novato firefighters to specifically combat firefighters -- combat wildfires will be put in action again. certainly by december, these hills are a lot greener. instead we're seeing a lot of this. very dry brush. this is typically what you see during the summer months. and rain is not in the forecast. >> a lot of our slopes are still showing dark brown grass which is ready to burn still. and the thicker brush in the trees throughout marin still has very low moisture content in them >> reporter: chief mark hines says the fires that occurred in the north bay last october and the recent ones in southern california were fueled by very dry conditions and strong winds. he says the north bay is still very vulnerable. he's asking people in the community to do their part. >>

in san francisco, leighian melendez, abc7 news. >> london breed now becomes san francisco's first female african-american mayor. to learn more about her, look for this story on our website, abc7news.com. >> police are investigating the vandalism of a citiman's car as a hate crime. you can see what was done to it here. he says racist graffiti was spray painted on it after an argument in a grocery store parking lot. abc7 news asker eric thomas has the story. >> reporter: steve woolson's suv goes in the shop tomorrow to have these ugly words stripped off. >> i've got to spend $500 for for a deductible that i don't have. i have to get this off my car. >> reporter: the #dt is bad enough. he believes that stand for donald trump. >> the other side is really offensive. >> reporter: that's when the "n" word is written with the member go home. >> i'd rather them stab my tires and break my window because now this is a rolling message. >> reporter: he came to the mall monday night to do some grocery shopping, but as he tried to park his car he found a tight squeeze, so he asked the driver next to hi

el seÑor melÉndez, quien vino de honduras junto a su hijo incapacitado dice que tiene esperanzas de encontrarÉl necesita su casa, tener su dinero al dÍa, si yo falto, no se lo puedo dar. pedro: la patrulla fronteriza confirma que cuando las cifras de arrestos han caÍdo drÁsticamente en el 2017, en las Últimas semanas han vuelto a subir las detenciones de familias y agentes indocumentados, isaac villegas nos hablÓ de las diferenciass. >> los niÑos estÁn viniendo y tambiÉn las familias estÁn viniendo y es bien peligroso cuando mandan a los niÑos con los coyotes. marÍa llegÓ con su hijo de 9 meses desde guatemala, asegura que a pesar de haber recibido una orden para una corte de inmigraciÓn no deja de temer regresar a su paÍs. >> me preocupa, pero gracias a dios me mandaron aquÍ. pedro: aparte del notorio aumento de detenciones de familia y niÑos solos en la frontera, revelan que han aumentado los ataques fÍsicos a sus compaÑeros cuando se estÁn realizando arrestos. >> estÁn pegando a los agentes, tratando de correr, y cuando los agentes no quieren pelear, y esa es la cosa que no queremos. pedro

we're home. ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ >> reporter: in santa rosa, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news> one of the most daunting tasks for survivors of the north bay wildfires is filing insurance claims. that asks victims to take inventory of everything they owned. the california insurance commissioner has been asking insurance companies to streamline the process by not requiring a detailed list. >> their most valued possessions, everything they had in this world. and so to ask them to inventory all that adds insult to injury, is a very, very emotionally trying thing to do and overwhelming for a lot of people. >> some insurance providers are already fulfilling the request. so far insurance claims for the north bay wildfires have totaled more than $9 billion. >>> rosie the riveter museum in richmond has received a gift. these coveralls by the late sue graham. she modified airplanes with cameras and other specialized equipment. her family donated to honor women. >>> despite a broken neck, matthew wechsler is starting to walk and regain the use of his hands, legs, and feet with a special

abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez has more. >> reporter: by now, all this wildfire protection gear used by firefighters in novato was meant to be stored, ready for the next fire season. >> the clothing we wear, obviously a helmet, gloves. we have a fire resistive jacket and our web gear. >> reporter: the engine used by novato firefighters to specifically combat firefighters will be put in action again. certainly by december, these hills are a lot greener. instead we're seeing a lot of this. very dry brush. this is typically what you see during the summer months. and rain is not in the forecast. >> a lot of our slopes are still showing dark brown grass which is ready to burn still. and the thicker brush in the trees throughout marin still has very low moisture content in them. >> reporter: she have mark hines says the fires that occurred in the north bay last october and the recent ones in southern california were fueled by very dry conditions and strong winds. he says the north bay is still very vulnerable. he's asking people in the community to do their part. >> they're extra caut

abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez has more. >> reporter: by now, all this wildfire protection gearhters in novato was meant to be stored, ready for the next fire season. >> the clothing we wear, obviously a helmet, gloves. we have a fire resistive jacket and our web gear. >> reporter: the tac 3 engine used by novato firefighters to specifically combat firefighters will be put in action again. certainly by december, these hills are a lot greener. instead we're seeing a lot of this. very dry brush. this is typically what you see during the summer months. and rain is not in the forecast. >> a lot of our slopes are still showing dark brown grass which is ready to burn still. and the thicker brush in the trees throughout marin still has very low moisture content in them. >> reporter: chief mark hines says the fires that occurred in the north bay last october and the recent ones in southern california were fueled by very dry conditions and strong winds. he says the north bay is still very vulnerable. he's asking people in the community to do their part. >> they're extra cautious, particu

we're home. ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ >> reporter: in santa rosa, lyanne melendez, abc 7 newsppy new year >>> rosie the riveter museum in richmond has received a gift. these coveralls by the late sue graham, who worked at lowry air base in denver during world war ii. she modified airplanes with cameras and other specialized equipment. she died in august at 92 years of age. her children donated the coveralls to honor their mother and all women who played such an important role for america during that time. >>> a surfing accident left an emergency room physician close to death last month. despite a broken neck, he's making remarkable progress. matthew wechsler is starting to walk and regain the use of his hands, legs, and feet with a special device to stop him from falling. doctors at zuckerberg san francisco general used a rare technique to monitor the exact amount of blood flowing to his spinal cord during surgery. >> to be surprised as an adult is a rare and beautiful thing. and i have been fortunate to be surprised almost every day. >> to round off his treatment, he creates

chris: melÉndez estÁ que no cabe de la emociÓn.me en cuenta que si lleva mÁs de $10,000 debe declararos en los puestos de entrada. estÁ prohibido ingresar armas al territorio nacional. chris: mÁs de 5 millones de mexicanos llevarÁn provenientes de estados unidos y canadÁ. >> unas cÁmaras, unos regalitos. cristo: las aduanas internacionales se mantendrÁn vigilantes. el programa paisano busca a auxiliar a los compatriotas. >> en este documento encontrarÁn las principales recomendaciones para cruzar. primero estar bien documentado, actas de nacimiento, pasaportes, tiene derecho a llevar hasta $500 en mercancÍa libre de impuestos. palmira: pÓngase listo con esa franquicia de $500 por persona. no se vaya a equivocar. vamos a otra cosa porque llegÓ la hora de saber cÓmo estarÁ el clima para los prÓximos dÍas. con estas imÁgenes en vivo del monte alison nos vamos al azar con su gÉlido pez belén que ya estÁ lista con " la ventana tiempo ". suheily: muchÍsimas gracias y muy buenas noches. todavÍa continÚa mucho frÍo en el Área de la bahÍa.

abc 7 news reporter leanyanne melendez has te in ens and outse case. >> reporter: 18 of the 21 young plaintiffs were cheered by supporters outside the 9th circuit court of appeal. their main argument is and has always been the u.s. government has failed to protect them from climate change. >> because our government has done nothing, we are suing the government. we are forcing them into action. >> reporter: julia olson is their attorney. >> so this is many administrations building a fossil fuel energy system that they knew would be catastrophic for the future. >> reporter: kelsey, now 21 years old, is one of the plaintiffs in the juliana versus the united states. a lawsuit filed in 2015 that was supposed to be heard by the u.s. district court in oregon, but in 2016, that court was asked by the government to dismiss the case. the court refused. the trump administration then quickly appealed to the 9th circuit. >> good morning, your honors. eric grant, u.s. department of justice. >> reporter: today both sides were heard by the three-judge panel. the hearing was streamed live. grant argu

angel melendez un producto pirateado puede causar daÑo a usted y a sus hijos porque segn afirma, lostarias. frank russo, dir. portuario de aduanas y proteccion fronteriza "some of these products such as cosmetics, can damage your skin" algunos de estos productos, tal como los cosmticos, explicaron, pueden daÑar su piel. agentes de la aduana seÑalan que la piratera de productos afecta tambin la seguridad nacional, e insisten que muchos trabajadores en este pais pierden sus empleos por la venta millonaria de productos falsificados de otros paises que inundan el mercado, para que lo tome en cuenta durante sus compras navidenas. y ya sabe, si tiene un caso para t48 responde, llmenos. 844 408 4848. --un gerente en la compaÑa "volkswagen" ira a prisin.... "oliver schmidt" fue sentenciado a 7 aÑos tras las rejas por su papel en un esquema que permiti que los autos registraran nmeros ms bajos de lo permitido en los lmites de contaminacin al medio ambiente. --en reuniones con reguladores en california, "schmidt" no dio a conocer sobre el sofisticado dispositivo que estaba utilizando que le pe

. >> lyanne melendez has been covering this extensively. stunning decision, lyanne. >>> it would be an understatement to say everybody here is surprised with regard to this verdict. i think many people were at least expecting involuntary manslaughter and that was not the case here. again, for those of you joining us, the jury decided that in terms of first degree murder, not guilty, second degree murder, not guilty, and again involuntary manslaughter, not guilty. now, there was one guilty verdict here, and that was possession of a firearm. and, you know, that's very interesting because i asked jeff odachi, the public defender, how is it possible that you find jose ines garcia zarate not guilty on all those charges but yet you find him guilty of possessing a firearm? he says that happens because the jury perhaps decided that even holding, for example, if he found that gun as the defense always argued, if he found it and held it in his hand, he knew that it could be dangerous holding that gun. and that's why they decided to find him guilty on

all this too much for luisa melendez and her three sons, her sister and her sisters family. ten now packed into a relative's three-bedroom home in north carolina. >> we have to make do where we can. we have everything scheduled down to try to keep the costs where we can afford to pay it. >> reporter: this family says their gift is being away from the storm-ravaged island. tom, many puerto ricans are spending the holiday away from friends and family. some 269,000 puerto ricans have left the island since hurricane maria to start new lives here in florida alone. tom? >> a very tough christmas for so many from puerto rico. victor, thank you. >>> and there's much more ahead on "world news tonight" this sunday. frozen, skiers stuck in the air above the alps. helicopters swooping in to bring them to safety. we'll take you inside the high-flying rescue. >>> plus, a potentially dangerous ingredient in an item under some christmas trees. why some children's products are being pulled off the market. >>> and our reporter joins last-minute shoppers scrambling for the perfect gift. and we

lyanne melendez has more. >> reporter: surrounded by local and national media matt gonzalez sent his's family while asking the jury's be respected. >> they deliberated as a group. they heard readback testimony. they looked at the physical evidence and rendered a verdict to the best of their abilities in accordance to the law. >> reporter: that included the stolen gun used to kill kate steinle which was brought in at the request of the jury. within a few hours they had made up their minds. >> it was a verdict we were not hoping for. i know both sides fought very hard. again, the jurors are the ones that make a determination on case and we will respect that decision. >> reporter: the prosecution argued jose ines garcia zarate had the gun with him when he got to pier 14, aimed it at steinle and fired the gun. no motive was ever given. the jury was instead convinced by what the defense argued which was that garcia zarate fund the gun there wrapped in a piece of cloth and when he handled it the gun accidentally fired. the bullet ricocheted first and traveled another 78 feet before hitting

. >> lyanne melendez has covered the trial from the beginning. >> reporter: it took six days for the this verdict. i would calculate about 28 hours or so of deliberations. many people were surprised by the verdict, again not guilty of murder, not guilty of assault with semiautomatic weapon and as you mentioned, guilty of possession of a gun. now that one really surprised me and made little sense to me. this is the explanation given by the public defender jeff adachy. >> they heard the evidence, they deliberated as a group, heard read back testimony, looked at physical evidence and rendered a verdict to best of their abilities in accordance to the law. >> verdict we weren't hoping for. both sides fought very hard but again the jury is the one, the jurors are the ones to

one of the alternate jurors spoke with lyanne melendez in defense of those who deliberated behind closed doors. >> i think the law was upheld. different people can interpret that as justice or not. >> reporter: says his fellow jurors made the right decision to acquit jose inez garcia zeralte. he was alternate jury. requested why the jury was asked to consider frs degree murder, includes remeditation. >> no sign of that. second required malice aforethought. >> reporter: also rejected. never proved intended to kill or harm kate steinle. no notimotive given. no history of violence and bullet ricochetted before hitting her in the back. >> not just ricochet, a bad one. if he intended that shot he just got really lucky. >> reporter: why not involuntary manslaughter? reason prosecution had to claim that in the act of committing the crime he was brandishing a weapon. waving it. >> no evidence presented during the trial. >> reporter: no witness on the pier saw him holding anything in his hand. acknowledges it wasn't easy to see the steinle family in court. >> i knew had to separate feelings about

in san francisco, leann melendez, abc 7 news. >>> we are learning about the killing of a man over an iphone. the teenagers charged with his death appeared in court for the first time today. as melanie woodrow explains, technology played a key role in making these arrests. dan carlos was selling his iphone x. he took all of the right precautions. >> he brought another person with him. he did it at a gas station, on a saturday. >> reporter: but alameda county sheriff's spokesperson, ray kelly, for whatever reason during the exchange in san le andro on november 18th, 18-year-old marcos shot carlos. sergeant kelly says patten drove the getaway car. they posted a search warrant to see who carlos was speaking with over the app. >> that communication was important to us. he left a digital footprint. so did the suspects. >> reporter: a witness who saw the getaway vehicle was critical in the investigation. sergeant kelly says fortune and patten played high schol football together. >> it's really sad that these two young men decided to take this force in life. >> repor the shooting, carlos had

san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >>> stay with us, spencer will be back. >> and we'll findt rain in the forecast. stay with us. really? really? really? really? really? really? see zero in a whole new way. get zero down, zero deposit, zero first month's payment, and zero due at signing on select volkswagen models. now with the people first warranty. ♪ ♪ i'm gonna let it sne.e, ♪ it's energy saving time, ♪ i'm gonna reduce mine. ♪ californians all align ♪ to let our great state shine. ♪ let it shine, ♪ thpower's ours ♪ unplug chargers - go, ♪ devices go off-line. turn thermostats down low, ♪ led's shine mighty fine. small actions quickly grow, ♪ to let our great state shine. ♪ energy upgrade california, will let us shine. ♪ >>> it's a popular new way of sending money instantly. all with the click of a mouse or a cell phone. >> electronic money transfers are a little too easy sometimes. she lost thousands of dollars in less than one minute. >> kind of scary. she ended up going to michael finney for help. >> we were lucky, they were able to have -- we helped her. you're late wi

san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >>> stay with us, spencer will be back. >> and we'll find out when and where to expect rain in the forecast. stay with us. >>> it's a popular new way of sending money instantly. all with the click of a mouse or a cell phone. >> electronic money transfers are a little too easy sometimes. she lost thousands of dollars in less than one minute. >> kind of scary. she ended up going to michael finney for help. >> we were lucky, they were able to have -- we helped her. you're late with a payment or split a dinner tab, money transfers are a quick way to send and receive money. this system requires a phone number or an e-mail. one small mistake can send your money to the wrong place. it's almost impossible to get your money back. >> she had just moved into a really nice home. >> bonnie tells us how it all began. her daughter did not want to be late with her first month's rent. she went online to her wells fargo account and found zelle. >> make your payment right now through zelle. >> she had to type the amount she was sending along with her landlord'

abc 7 news reporter lee an melendez explains what happens next. >> reporter: before being transferred to san francisco to face drug charges, jose had been detained in texas for illegally reentering the united states. then 14 days after he confessed to shooting kate steinle on july 14th, 2015, a u.s. district court in texas issued a warrant for his arrest. and today, less than 24 hours after the verdict, that same court again asked that he be turned over to the u.s. marshal. that request was sent to the sheriffs' office in san francisco which said once eligible to be released, the sheriff's department will notify the u.s. marshal pursuant to the federal criminal warrant. what charges could he face? according to immigration law because he illegally reentered the united states five times, he faces ten years in a federal prison and could get a penalty enhancement of ten more years because he committed a crime after reentry. remember, he was found guilty of possessing the gun that killed kate steinle so it could be years before he's deported. last night immigration and customs enforcement

lyanne melendez has the latest. >> reporter: a group of oakland city employees gathered in front of city hall hoping for a last minute deal. it was not to be. as it stands the city has agreed to 4% salary increase the first year of it contract but rejected any increases the second year. the mayor was in our studio to defend her position. >> i'm tremendously disappointed that the workers are going on strike tomorrow because we have not reached impasse. we have been in good faith negotiating for several months. and both sides agree we have not reached an impasse. so technically this is an unlawful strike, and we will be filing an unfair labor practices action tomorrow. >> reporter: it means 3,000 city employees will be on the picket line tomorrow. these includes librarians, cleanup crews, parking enforcement officials, nearly every public worker in oakland. 911 dispatchers are not allowed to strike. the union 1021 tones to complain how city departments are understaffed and rely on temporary part time workers. >> we don't receive the health care plan that full-time and permanent part-time w

in san francisco, lyanne melendez. >> some of the speakers will include acting mayor london breed, gavin newsom, senator dianne feinstein, former mayor willy brown and ed lee's own two daughters. the celebration will be sunday at 3:00 p.m. at city hall, doors open at 2:00 p.m. for the public. additional space is available at the public library across the steet. you can watch it on the abc 7 news app as well. >>> there's now an online petition to rename justin herman plaza after ed lee. just last month the city's rec and park commission struck justin herman's name from the plaza as we reported. some blame herman for bulldozing the western addition taking away minority housing. the space has temporarily been renamed embarcadero plaza until a new name is chosen. perhaps it will be ed lee. the petition can be found at change.org. a thousand people have already signed it. city hall was still open for business which includes weddings. leslie brinkley continues our team coverage with a story of contradictions and grash usness. >> reporter: how do you reconcile condolences with congratulations?

. >> lyanne melendez covered every day of the trial at the hall of justice. and you join us with the new developments. >> that's right. we ccan confirm will there are two orders of criminal warrant and detainer from i.c.e. demanding that zarate be turned over. and are here is how the process will work. before being transferred to san francisco to face drug charges, zarajose ines garcia zarate hadn detained in texas for illegally re-entering the united states and 14 days after he confessed to shooting kaite steinle on juy 14, 2015, a u.s. district court in texas issued a warrant for his arrest. and today less than 24 hours after the verdict, that same court again asked that he be turned over to the u.s. marshal. that request was sent to the sheriff's office in san francisco which said once he is eligible for bto be released, sf will notify the u.s. marshal pursuant to the federal criminal warrant. according to immigration law, because he illegally re-entered the united states five times, he faces ten years in a federal prison. he could also get a penalty enhan

here is abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez. >> reporter: by now all of the wildfire protection gearored. ready for the next fire season. >> the clothing we wear, helmet and gloves, we have a fire resistant jacket and our web gear. >> reporter: the type three engine used by novato firefighters to specifically combat wildfires will be put in action again. certainly by december these hills are a lot greener. instead we're seeing a lot of this. very dry brush. this is typically what you see during the summer months. and rain is not in the forecast. >> the slopes are still showing dark brown grass which is ready to burn still. and the thicker brush and the trees throughout marin still have very low moisture content. >> reporter: the chief said the fires that occurred in the north bay last october and the recent ones in southern california were fueled by very dry conditions and strong winds. he said the north bay is still very vulnerable. he's asking people in the community to do their part. >> they are extra cautious because the fire danger when using fireplaces or fire pits. >> other di

here is abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez. >> reporter: by now all of the wildfire protection gearirefighters in novato was meant to be stored. ready for the next fire season. >> the clothing we wear, helmet and gloves, we have a fire resistant jacket and our web gear. >> reporter: the type three engine used by novato firefighters to specifically combat wildfires will be put in action again. certainly by december these hills are a lot greener. instead we're seeing a lot of this. very dry brush. this is typically what you see during the summer months. and rain is not in the forecast. >> the slopes are still showing dark brown grass which is ready to burn still. and the thicker brush and the trees throughout marin still have very low moisture content. >> reporter: the chief said the fires that occurred in the north bay last october and the recent ones in southern california were fueled by very dry conditions and strong winds. he said the north bay is still very vulnerable. he's asking people in the community to do their part. >> they are extra cautious because the fire danger when .

kenny melendez saw the video last weekend when he saw the dark shadow in the water.'t know if the man standing close to it did. regardless he stayed put and so did a few nearby swimmers. >> wrinkles, bald heads a couple of old guys, right. wrong. all a disguise to rob a jewelry store and it work. [ applause ] dow jones industrial average going past the 24,000 mark for the first time today. this marks the fifth time in 2017 that index hit a 1,000-point milestone. >> happy news for fear 01ks across the nation. the white house is trying to put to rest rumors that secretary of state rex tillerson is on his way out. various media outlets have said the white house has been discussing plans to replace him with cia director mike pompeo but tonight cnn is reporting that the rumors started from the white house in an evident to publicly shame the secretary with the hope that he will leave on his own. tillerson and president trump have been at odds over foreign policy. >>> a pair of robbers using a clever disguise to get their hands on jewelry. take look at this video you see th

. >> reporter: in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc7 news. >> it starts at 5:00 at portsmouth square. >> nothing was too small or too big for him. from stuffing envelopes to speaking on stage, my dad was happy to do it all. >> those are ed lee's two daughters speaking at yesterday's memorial. we have every single speech as well as a look back at ed lee's life and career online. our website is abc7news.com. >> new details tonight about an off-duty richmond police officer who authorities say fired a gun inside the san francisco four seasons hotel this weekend. no one was hurt, but tonight the officer is facing charges for the incident. abc7 news reporter melanie woodrow has the story. >> reporter: a richmond police sergeant is on administrative leave after san francisco police say he fired a gun inside the four seasons hotel on market street early sunday morning. san francisco police say 45-year-old sergeant phil sanchez was booked for negligent discharge of a firearm. vandalism, a $400 or more, assault with a firearm, and shooting in an inhabited dwelling. his attorney says san franci

. >> reporter: in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc7 news. >> it starts at 5:00 at portsmouth square. >> nothing was too small or too big for him. from stuffing envelopes to speaking on stage, my dad was happy to do it all. >> those are ed lee's two daughters speaking at yesterday's memorial. we have every single speech as well as a look back at ed lee's life and career online. our website is abc7news.com. >> new details tonight about an off-duty richmond police officer who authorities say fired a gun inside the san francisco four seasons hotel this weekend. no one was hurt, but tonight the officer is facing charges for the incident. abc7 news reporter melanie woodrow has the story. >> reporter: a richmond police sergeant is on administrative leave after san francisco police say he fired a gun inside the four seasons hotel on market street early sunday morning. san francisco police say 45-year-old sergeant phil sanchez was booked for negligent discharge of a firearm. vandalism, a $400 or more, assault with a firearm, and shooting in an inhabited dwelling. his attorney says san franci

. >> reporter: after seeing our report on students fighting at gaithersburg high school, erica melendez e-mailed news4 saying her 16-year-old daughter deanna was attacked by a student in a school rest room in mid october. deanna suffered a serious concussion that is keeping her out of school for at least two months. >> itaf dizzy, which will cause me to get really tired. >> we didn't send her to school to be damaged, and the school has never offered an apology, never called to see how she was doing. >> reporter: we asked montgomery county schools if they are aware of the fight, and if so, what they're doing about it. >> we are aware of this incident. because of student privacy rules, i don't want to comment too much about this specific incident. but i do want do share we are continuing to work with her family at both the central office level and the school level to make sure she's receiving the best montgomery county education we can provide. >> reporter: deanna says she is now afraid to return here to gaithersburg high school. she wants to transfer. the montgomery county public school