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RNC 2020: Pence slammed for 'lying' about Dave Patrick Underwood's murder, what was Boogaloo Boys' connection?

Mike Pence was criticized for not mentioning the far-right extremist 'Boogaloo' movement in connection with officer Dave Patrick Underwood's death

Vice President Mike Pence addressed the crowd on the third day of the Republican National Convention from Fort McHenry in Baltimore. He began the speech by saying, “It is an honor to speak to you tonight from the hallowed grounds of Fort McHenry. The site of the very battle that inspired the words of our national anthem.” He added, “The heroes who held this fort took their stand for Life, liberty, freedom and the American flag. Those ideals have defined our nation. Yet they were hardly ever mentioned during last week's Democratic Convention. Instead, Democrats spent four days attacking America. Joe Biden said we were living through a ‘season of American darkness’. But as President Trump said, ‘where Joe Biden sees American darkness, we see American greatness’.”

He went on to endorse POTUS by saying, “In these challenging times... our country needs a president who believes in America. Who believes in the boundless capacity of the American people to meet any challenge, defeat any foe, and defend the freedoms we all hold dear...America needs four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House.”

Addressing the hurricane Laura, he said, “Our administration is working closely with authorities in the states that will be impacted and FEMA has mobilized resources and supplies for those in harm's way. This is a serious storm. We urge all those in the affected areas to heed state and local authorities. Stay safe, and know that we'll be with you every step of the way to support, rescue, response, and recovery in the days and weeks ahead.”

He then went on to accept his VP nomination by saying, “For the last four years, I have watched this President endure unrelenting attacks and get up every day and fight to keep the promises he made to the American people. So, with gratitude for the confidence President Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican party, and the grace of God, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as Vice President of the United States.”

Speaking about the unrest in the country, he said, “President Donald Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peaceful protest, but rioting and looting is not peaceful protest, tearing down statues is not free speech. Those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” He further stated that “violence must stop” whether it’s in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha. He added, “Too many heroes have died defending our freedoms to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of America.” He continued, “People like Dave Patrick Underwood was an officer of the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Protective Service, who was shot and killed during the riots in Oakland, California. We are joined tonight by his sister Angela. Angela, we grieve for your family and are grateful for his service. And America will never forget Dave Patrick Underwood and his service and sacrifice to this nation.”

He attacked Joe Biden by saying, “President Trump set our nation on a path to freedom and opportunity from the very first day of this administration. But Joe Biden would set America on a path of socialism and decline.” In his concluding lines, Pence said, “I leave here today inspired. And I leave here today more convinced than ever that we will do as Americans have done through our long and storied past, we will defend our freedom and way of life in November of 2020, we will re-elect our president and principled Republican leaders across this land...and with President Donald Trump in the White House for four more years, and Gods help...we will make America great again, again.”

But Pence’s reference to officer Dave Patrick Underwood being killed in the riots got social media into a discussion about facts related to the incident. In June this year, as stated in an NBC report, Staff Sgt. Steven Carrillo, 32, was arrested with charges of murder and attempted murder in the killing of Underwood, during George Floyd protests. The officer was shot on May 29 while guarding the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building, as per the report. Carrillo had an alleged accomplice Robert Justus and the duo allegedly traveled to Oakland with the intent to kill police and assumed that the protests for Floyd, which they weren’t part of, would help them get away it. "They came to Oakland to kill cops," said John Bennett, special agent in charge of the San Francisco division of the FBI, as stated in the report.

The report further states that investigators found a ballistic vest in his vehicle, which allegedly had a patch featuring an igloo and a Hawaiian-style print — symbols synonymous with the far-right extremist "Boogaloo" movement. Carrillo, prior to his arrest, allegedly wrote “boog” and “I became unreasonable” on the hood of the vehicle he carjacked with his blood. These phrases are also associated with "Boogaloo”, according to the complaint. The report further states, according to the complaint, the suspect on May 28 wrote on a Facebook group that the unrest is “on our coast now, this needs to be nationwide” and that “it’s a great opportunity to target the specialty soup bois.” According to NBC, in Boogaloo groups on Facebook and Reddit, “soup bois” is term for government agencies that are abbreviated in acronyms like “alphabet soup” such as the FBI and ATF.

The complaint, as quoted in the NBC report, states that Carrillo further wrote in a Facebook group, “Go to the riots and support our own cause. Show them the real targets. Use their anger to fuel our fire. Think outside the box. We have mobs of angry people to use to our advantage.”

Twitter was abuzz with reactions to Pence’s reference of the ‘Oakland riots’. Writer Shaun King wrote: "Tonight Mike Pence mentioned an officer who was killed in Oakland during Black Lives Matter protests in June. HE WAS KILLED BY MEMBERS OF A CONSERVATIVE HATE GROUP. Pence left that out."

CNN anchor Jack Tapper wrote: "VP Pence said Officer Dave Patrick Underwood was “killed during the riots in Oakland.” He didn’t say the Officer was killed by a suspected member of the Boogaloo Boys, which if anything are more affiliated with the far right."

Another commented, "Mike Pence brought up the murder of Dave Patrick Underwood in Oakland. Republicans love referencing his death like it came @ the hands of #BLM activists or rioters,but his killer was a white supremacist member of the #BoogalooBoys trying to encourage a race war. #factsmatter #RNC"

One alleged, "Mike Pence stood up there and LIED about what happened with Dave patrick Underwood. He was murdered by a FAR RIGHT WING white supremacist."

Another user stated, "Mike Pence is such a liar that he blamed David Patrick Underwood death on the "riots." Where as Underwood was murdered in a targeted drive by shooting by the Boogaloos, a white supremaist extremist group #BlackTwitter."