A man with ties to the “Boogaloo” movement has been convicted of murdering a federal security officer during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots over the death of George Floyd.
Robert Alvin Justus Jr., 33, was convicted by a jury for the murder of Federal Protective Service Officer David Patrick Underwood.
The Boogaloo movement consisted of left-leaning gun-enthusiast libertarians who believed there was an impending civil war.
Underwood was guarding a federal building in Oakland, California, during a riot on May 29, 2020, when he was fatally shot.
Justus was driving a van while Steven Carrillo, a former U.S. Air Force sergeant, fired a homemade AR-15 out of the back of the vehicle. The two had met online.
Another officer was also wounded during the shooting.
Carrillo pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to over four decades in federal prison.
The Associated Press reports, “Justus testified in his own defense during the trial. He sought to portray himself as an unwilling participant and said Carrillo had forced him into the plot at gunpoint, according to the Bay Area News Group. Prosecutors, however, said Justus had opportunities to escape but did not, showing his willingness to be included in the plan.”
“In the hour leading up to the shooting, Justus exited the van twice to scout the area on foot and locate targets, returning to the van both times. Following the fatal shooting, Justus drove Carrillo back to Milbrae and the two separated,” the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.
Justus destroyed evidence after the shooting and continued talking to Carrillo about future plans.
“Days after Underwood’s killing, Carrillo ambushed sheriff’s deputies in Santa Cruz County who were responding to a report of a van containing firearms and bomb-making materials,” the AP report explains. “County Sheriff Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was killed, and several other law enforcement officials were wounded. Carrillo also pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to life in state prison without parole.”
Justus is now facing life in prison for his role in the killing.