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Ex-Air Force Sergeant pleads guilty in killing Santa Cruz Sheriff’s sergeant

2 mins read

A former Air Force sergeant pleaded guilty to killing a sheriff’s sergeant a week after he attacked a federal building. He was also convicted last month for killing a federal security officer in the Bay Area. 

Steven Carrillo, 33 and is linked to an extremist movement, pleaded guilty to all 9 counts, including murder and special circumstances, and for killing Santa Cruz County Sheriff Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller on June 6, 2020. 

According to the Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office, Carrillo is scheduled to be sentenced on August 26 and will be facing life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

Prosecutors say Carrillo ambushed the sheriff’s deputies in Santa Cruz who responded to a report of a van containing firearms and bomb-making materials. Gutzwiller, 38, was killed, and other law enforcement officials were injured. 

Carrillo was arrested after the incident in the community of Ben Lomond. 

Steven Carrillo

Earlier this month, Carrillo was sentenced to 41 years in prison for killing David Patrick Underwood, a federal officer, who guarded a building in Oakland during a large protest on the May 2020 killing of George Floyd. 

In February, Carrillo admitted to posting on Facebook before the Oakland shooting, asking if they were “down to boog” and that he was ready to act and not just talk. The convicted also admits to firing 19 rounds from a homemade AR-15 rifle. 

“I aligned myself with the anti-government movement and wanted to carry out violent acts against federal law enforcement officers in particular,” Carrillo said then.

According to authorities, Carrillo had ties to the “boogaloo” movement, a concept embraced by gun enthusiasts and militia-style extremists. 

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