Woman Connected to Salina Shooting to be Deported

A Mexican woman was sentenced Monday for actions she took following the shooting death of a Salina teen.

According to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall, 22-year-old Azucena Garcia-Ferniza was sentenced to time served, and she will also be deported.

Garcia-Ferniza spent about 15 months in jail. She pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Wichita to one count of possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the United States. In her plea, she admitted that on May 7, 2015, she unlawfully possessed a Glock .45 caliber pistol. Her visitor’s visa had expired in February 1998.

In July 2016, Garcia-Ferniza was sentenced in Saline County District Court to 18 months on probation for attempting to hide the gun that killed 17-year-old Allie Saum. The gun belonged to her boyfriend, Macio D. Palacio, Jr. Saum was killed by gunfire when Palacio fired at a pickup he mistakenly believed was driven by someone that was involved in an earlier altercation.

Palicio was convicted in Saline County District Court and sentenced to more than 50 years for the killing.

Garcia-Ferniza will be placed in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation.