The final defendant in the 2020 drive-by shooting of court security officers has been sentenced to life in prison. Robert Alvin Justus Jr., 34, of Millbrae, California, was convicted for his role in the fatal shooting at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, California. Justus's co-defendant, Steven Carrillo, was previously sentenced to 41 years in prison. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland expressed, "With this sentence, the Justice Department has ensured that both of the defendants responsible for brutally murdering a law enforcement officer and seriously wounding another are held accountable for their heinous crimes."
During the trial, it was revealed that Justus aided and abetted the murder and attempted murder of the security officers. Justus was the driver of the vehicle from which Carrillo fired the gunshots that tragically took the life of Officer Dave Patrick Underwood and injured another officer. The evidence presented in court detailed the events leading up to the shooting, including Justus and Carrillo's shared allegiance to an anti-government movement called Boogaloo.
Investigators uncovered disturbing social media activity from both defendants, indicating their violent intentions towards law enforcement officers. Justus's involvement in the shooting was meticulously planned, with the aim of sparking further anti-government violence. The incident led to an eight-day manhunt, during which Justus attempted to destroy evidence linking him to the crime.
Carrillo pleaded guilty to charges related to the shooting and was sentenced to 41 years in prison in 2022. The FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Protective Service, and U.S. Marshals Service collaborated in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan U. Lee and John C. Bostic prosecuted the case with support from Trial Attorney Jessica Fender of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.