Gun used to kill Oakland muralist traced to ICE agents’ car

Daniel Panko sketches a design in chalk before a dedication ceremony for the Superheroes Mural Project on West Street in Oakland, Calif. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. Artist Antonio Ramos was shot and killed while working on the mural on Sept. 29. less Daniel Panko sketches a design in chalk before a dedication ceremony for the Superheroes Mural Project on West Street in Oakland, Calif. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. Artist Antonio Ramos was shot and killed ... more Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Gun used to kill Oakland muralist traced to ICE agents’ car 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

A gun stolen from a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer’s rental car and used in the Oakland slaying of a popular muralist has once again cast a harsh light on how law enforcement officers secure their weapons.

Marquise Holloway, 20, stands accused of using a Glock 26 pistol in the Sept. 29 attempted robbery and slaying of artist Antonio Ramos, 27, who was working on an antiviolence mural when he was gunned down.

It is not clear how Holloway allegedly obtained the 9mm weapon, which had been stolen the night of Sept. 13 from a car rented by two ICE agents visiting from out of town and parked at Second and South Park streets in San Francisco.

Guns stolen from law enforcement officers’ personal cars have posed problems in the Bay Area in recent months. A pistol stolen in June from the personal car of a federal Bureau of Land Management ranger in San Francisco was used four days later, allegedly by an immigrant without legal standing, in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle on Pier 14.

At least three other law enforcement officers, including UC Berkeley Police Chief Margo Bennett, have come under scrutiny for losing guns when their personal cars were broken into.

The gun used in the Ramos slaying was reported stolen to San Francisco police and federal authorities. San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr confirmed Wednesday that there was a link to the slaying of the artist on Sept. 29.

“We put the firearm in the system. When Oakland ran the firearm, it came back to our auto burglary,” Suhr said.

Oakland police officials also confirmed Wednesday that the gun used in the killing had been stolen from an ICE agent in San Francisco.

Officials, including a spokesman for ICE, declined to say where the gun was stored in the car. James Schwab, a spokesman for the federal agency, would not comment on the protocol ICE officers are required to follow for securing guns left in their private vehicles.

The burglary case was later solved.

On Oct. 21, San Francisco police arrested Sean Gibson, 25, of San Francisco in connection with the burglary of the rented Kia Sedona as well as other crimes, said Alex Bastian, spokesman for the district attorney’s office.

Gibson allegedly took two agents’ badges, a pair of handcuffs, three fully loaded ammunition magazines and a baton, Bastian said.

On the night of the burglary, a parking lot attendant in the 500 block of Howard Street found the two badges, the ammunition, the baton, a set of car keys and some clothes, but not the weapon or the handcuffs, Bastian said.

Gibson is held on $523,000 bail on a total of 36 counts, including the break-in of the agents’ rental car.

Gibson’s attorney, Mark Goldrosen, said his client has pleaded not guilty to all the counts against him. “He is absolutely certain that he has no connection to this homicide,” Goldrosen said.

Holloway appeared in court for the second straight day Wednesday, only to have his arraignment postponed again. On Tuesday, the hearing was called off when he became unruly, lashed out at the judge and had to be removed from the courtroom. He is scheduled to return Monday morning.

In addition to the attempted robbery and murder of Ramos, he is charged with holding up two video-production crews at gunpoint in October.

Holloway confessed to police investigators that he shot Ramos but said it was an accident, according to court papers filed in the murder case. Oakland police said the deadly confrontation stemmed from Holloway eyeing Ramos’ camera equipment to steal.

How Holloway allegedly got his hands on the ICE agent’s gun remained a big unanswered question.

The recent cases in which car burglars in the Bay Area made off with guns belonging to law enforcement officers not only underscore the nationwide scourge of firearm theft, but also raise questions about whether cops are doing enough to keep their guns out of the wrong hands.

Supervisor David Campos introduced a package of public safety proposals last month designed to address shortcomings exposed in the aftermath of the Steinle shooting. Steinle’s family has filed a lawsuit pursuing damages from the Bureau of Land Management, claiming the ranger’s weapon was left loaded and in plain view in his car.

One of Campos’ proposals would specifically prohibit San Francisco city peace officers from leaving an issued firearm in a personal vehicle. The only exception would be if the gun was secured in a locked container or locked trunk separate from the main cabin of the vehicle.

Jaxon Van Derbeken and Kale Williams are San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com , kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jvanderbeken @SFkale