Family identifies federal officer shot, killed in connection with George Floyd protest in Oakland
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The family and friends of the Federal Protective Service officer who was shot and killed at the Federal Building in Oakland Friday night have confirmed his identity to ABC7 I-Team's Dan Noyes. The victim is 53-year-old Patrick Underwood of Pinole, Calif.
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According to the 53-year-old's loved ones, he worked for the same company that has a contract with the Department of Homeland Security for nine years. His sister, Angela Underwood Jacobs, confirmed Underwood died on Friday night. Angela Jacobs posted on her Facebook page saying,"My brother, Dave Patrick Underwood, a federal officer, was murdered 5/29/20 in Oakland California, while on duty during the riots. This Violence Must Stop."
Her spokeswoman told Noyes that Ms. Jacobs would issue a statement about her brother's passing on Sunday; she is too distraught to comment now.
A friend who knew Underwood from middle school, but did not want to be identified, released this quote, "Patrick was one of the kindest souls I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. A man full of empathy and compassion whose smile would light up a room. Humbleness and humility were his two greatest assets. The world needs him and more like him,especially in these troubling times."
Underwood grew up in Pinole and still lived there. He attended Pinole Valley High School, and wrote on his Facebook page that he studied welding at Contra Costa Community College.
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The FBI confirmed Pat Underwood's identity as the victim of Friday night's shooting in a press release on Sunday morning. They say Underwood died from gunshot wounds sustained after shots were red by an unidentied subject in a vehicle: "The FBI extends our deepest condolences to the victims and their families, and requests that their privacy is respected during this dicult time."
A senior official with the Department of Homeland Security tells ABC News that the shooting is related to the protest over George Floyd's death. A second FPS officer was wounded and is in critical condition. His identity has not yet been released.
Federal officials say the two were at the Ronald Dellums Federal Building on Clay Street when a vehicle approached just before 10 p.m. Authorities say someone inside the vehicle fired shots at the contract security officers.
Federal officials announced later Saturday afternoon that the officers were watching over the protests when the shooting occurred.
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The federal officers are responsible for protecting federal buildings across the country. You will often see them outside courthouses and other government buildings. They are an arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
In Washington, DHS officials commented on the shooting on Saturday.
"An assassin cowardly shot two federal protective contractors as they stood watch over a protest," Acting Secretary of the DHS Chad Wolf said.
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Interim Oakland PD Chief Susan Manheimer said this was most likely a targeted attack.
"It's likely there was a targeting of uniformed officers to the extent with which they were involved with our demonstration we're really not sure," she said.
The DHS calls the shooting an act of domestic terrorism by an assassin.
"Let me be clear, when someone targets a police officer or a police station with the intention to do harm and intimidate, that is an act of domestic terrorism," Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli said.
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Federal officials said, they're seeing more violence during peaceful protests.
"We're interested in all groups, all violent groups all extremist groups that are going to going to take advantage of individuals, exercising their first amendment right to do that peaceful protest and turning it into something else and that's what we're seeing. We're seeing a pattern of that. And we're very concerned about that," Wolf said.
A suspect hasn't been named, and it wasn't immediately known whether investigators have determined if the shooter had anything to do with the protest.
FBI investigators are now working with Oakland police on the case and say the investigation is still in its preliminary stages.
Take a look at the latest stories and videos about the investigation into George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.
