Hispanic enters the country as a tourist to kill his three daughters

The gunman who killed his three daughters, a chaperone who supervised his visit with them and then killed himself at a Northern California church this week was in the United States illegally, immigration officials said.

David Mora, 39, was over his visa limit after entering California from his native Mexico on Dec. 17, 2018, on a nonimmigrant visitor visa, spokeswoman Alethea Smock told The Associated Press on Friday. of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE).

He did not say when his visa expired, but because it had already expired, ICE asked to be notified when he was released from jail last week after being arrested in Merced County for assaulting a police officer. California highways.

The Merced County Police Department told the AP that under California's so-called sanctuary law, it doesn't notify immigration officials about people in custody who are released, and ICE never received any notice. This 2017 state law restricts local police cooperation with federal officials, except when immigrants are charged with very serious crimes.

The shooting at a Sacramento church occurred Monday during a weekly supervised visit Mora had with her daughters, ages 13, 10 and 9. Police have not disclosed the motive, but confirmation that he was in the country illegally provides a possible reason: Mora may have feared being deported and separated from his daughters.

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones' department has released few details so far, including when and how Mora obtained a firearm and what type it was. The agency did not comment on the matter on Friday.

Mora was arrested on February 23 on charges of resisting arrest, assault on a police officer and driving under the influence of alcohol. Five days later he opened fire inside a church in Sacramento.

The weekly visitation regimen with his daughters was authorized under a five-year restraining order obtained by Mora's ex-girlfriend, who was the mother of the girls. The warrant said he had repeatedly threatened to kill her, scared her daughters and said she would kill herself.

In a response to the warrant request, Mora said he had no weapons. His ex-girlfriend also said that he was not aware that he had firearms.

It is unclear whether Mora, also known as David Fidel Mora Rojas, faced a significant risk of deportation despite interest from immigration officials following his arrest. Although ICE had requested to be notified of Mora's release, immigration officials took no further steps to deport him after he was released on bond.