Steven Carrillo Sentenced to 41 Years in Prison for Murder and Attempted Murder for Role in Drive-By Shooting at Federal Courthouse in Oakland

SAN FRANCISCO - Steven Carrillo was sentenced today to 41 years in prison for murder and attempted murder in connection with the May 29, 2020, drive-by shooting at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Oakland, California, announced U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) San Francisco Field Division Special Agent in Charge Patrick T. Gorman. Protective Services Officer Dave Patrick Underwood was killed in the attack and a second security contractor was wounded. Today’s sentence was handed down by the Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, United States District Judge. 

Carrillo, 34 of Ben Lomond, pleaded guilty to the federal charges on February 11, 2022. According to the plea agreement Carrillo admitted that he intended to kill the two officers and acted with premeditation by firing on the officers from a van driven by another individual. Carrillo agreed that his killing of Officer Underwood was first degree murder as defined by the federal statute at 18 U.S.C. § 1111. Carrillo also admitted that during the months before the shooting, he aligned himself with an anti-government ideology and wanted to carry out violent acts against federal law enforcement, in particular. 

Carrillo posted messages and writings on social media sites during the weeks leading up to the shooting, describing the timing as favorable for the destruction of the government. Carrillo admitted that on May 29, 2020, he posted social media comments referring to the ongoing protests over the killing of George Floyd, and he made plans to travel to an area in Oakland where protests were expected that night. Carrillo admitted that he went to the protests with another individual, and Carrillo brought firearms and incendiary devices in a van driven by the other individual. After observing the protests, federal building and courthouse, and surrounding area, at approximately 9:44 p.m., while the other individual drove the van, Carrillo fired approximately 19 shots at the two security officers, killing Officer Underwood and wounding a second security officer with life-threatening and permanent injuries. In addition, Carrillo agreed and recommended to the court that a reasonable and appropriate disposition of this case would be 41 years in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release. 

Carrillo was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 25, 2020, for his role in the May 29 shooting at the Oakland Federal Courthouse. Carrillo pleaded guilty to use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 924(j)(1) and attempted murder of a person assisting an officer or employee of the U.S. Government, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1114(3), 1111, and 2. 

Carrillo came into federal custody following his arrest on June 6, 2020, by Santa Cruz County authorities stemming from his alleged involvement in a separate shooting that day in Ben Lomond that resulted in the death of a Santa Cruz County Deputy Sheriff and injuries to other law enforcement personnel.

In addition to imposing the prison term, Judge Gonzalez Rogers also scheduled a hearing for September 1, 2022, in San Francisco, to consider restitution claims for the victims of Carrillo’s conduct.

The United States Attorney’s Office’s Organized Crime Strike Force is prosecuting this case with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. The case is being investigated by the FBI, the ATF, the FPS, and the U.S. Marshal Service with assistance from the Oakland Police Department and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.