Air Force Sergeant Accused of Killing Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Deputy Is Now Charged in the Shooting Death of Federal Officer In Oakland

The man accused of killing a sheriff’s deputy in an ambush in Santa Cruz, California, will be charged with killing another officer, officials announced today.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Steven Carrillo, 32, was charged last week for killing Santa Cruz Sgt Deputy Damon Gutzwiller, 38, on June 6. Officials announced Tuesday that Carrillo and another man would be charged next week with killing federal security officer David Patrick Underwood, 53, on May 29 in Oakland, California.

U.S. Attorney David Anderson and FBI agent Jack Bennett announced the new charges against Carrillo Tuesday.

“Steven Carrillo is the alleged shooter who killed Pat Underwood and wounded his partner,” Anderson said.

Bennett said they have evidence that shows Carrillo had communicated with others about using the George Floyd protests in Oakland as a cover to kill Underwood. Robert Justice, who was the getaway driver, turned himself to the FBI.

“We believe Carrillo and Justice chose this date because of the planned protest in Oakland,” Bennett said. “It provided them to target multiple law enforcement personnel and to avoid apprehension due to the large crowds attending the demonstrations. As described in detail in the complaint, we believe Justice drove the white van.”

“We believe that messages exchanged between Carrillo, Justice, and others that day before the shooting in Oakland indicate a plan to travel to Oakland and attack federal enforcement officers. To be clear, Carrillo elected to travel to Oakland to conduct this murder and take advantage of a time when this nation was mourning the killing of George Floyd,” Bennett said.

Carrillo’s 1992 white Ford Cargo van linked the two murders because it was used in both crimes, Anderson said, as well as an AR-15 rifle.

News outlets report that Carrillo, who is an Air Force Sergeant, also has ties to the Boogaloo Movement, which is a right-wing extremist group that doesn’t trust law enforcement and the government. The word Boogaloo references a possible second civil war that they wish to start.

At one of the crime scenes, an armored vest was found in Carrillo’s van. The vest had a patch and slogans on the van, which were believed to be written with Carrillo’s blood.