Air Force Sgt. Steven Carrillo was charged Tuesday for his alleged role in the fatal shooting of Santa Cruz County deputy officer Dave Patrick Underwood, NBC News reports.
Underwood was killed in a drive-by incident on May 29 while guarding the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland during protests in wake of the death of George Floyd. The shooting was allegedly carried out by Carrillo, with accomplice Robert Justus, with the intent of using the demonstrations to help them get away with the crime. "There is no evidence that these men had any intention to join the demonstration in Oakland," FBI agent Jack Bennett said. "They came to Oakland to kill cops."
FBI discovered a message from Carrillo on a Facebook group dedicated to the far-right anti-government Boogaloo movement. "Go to the riots and support our own cause. Show them the real targets," he wrote. "Use their anger to fuel our fire. Think outside the box. We have mobs of angry people to use to our advantage."
Eight days later, the white van allegedly used to carry out the killing of Underwood was spotted outside of Carillo's home. When officers showed up at his residence, Carrillo fired back at officers, killing Santa Cruz County Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller and critically injuring another deputy.
Prior to his arrest, it was discovered that the hood of Carrillo's van had "Boog," a term synonymous with the Boogaloo movement, as well as common sayings used by the group, like "stop the duopoly" and "I became unreasonable." An AR-15 was also found.
Carrillo and Justus have been charged with murder and attempted murder.
