Slain Officer's Sister Sues Facebook for Wrongful Death

The sister of a slain national information serviceman is suing Facebook, alleging the tech elephantine played a portion successful the radicalization of 2 men who are accused of readying the sidesplitting connected its platform.

David Patrick Underwood was fatally changeable and his spouse was wounded portion guarding a national gathering successful Oakland connected May 29, 2020, erstwhile a ample objection implicit the constabulary sidesplitting of George Floyd was underway nearby. Federal prosecutors said 2 men present awaiting proceedings successful the drive-by shooting met done a Facebook radical leafage dedicated to the extremist anti-government “boogaloo” movement, and utilized the protestation arsenic screen for the crime.

The wrongful decease suit against Facebook’s genitor institution Meta was filed Thursday successful Alameda County Superior Court. It seeks astatine slightest $25,000 successful damages.

“Facebook bears work for the execution of my brother. As the suit alleges, Facebook knowingly promoted inflammatory and convulsive contented and connected extremists who plotted and carried retired the sidesplitting of my brother," Angela Underwood Jacobs said successful a statement.

The suit alleges that Facebook employed its proprietary algorithms to steer users to extremist groups arsenic a mode to support them progressive connected the platform, which successful crook drives advertizing income and revenue.

“We judge and mean to amusement that Facebook’s behaviour has led to a emergence successful extremism passim the satellite and acts of real-world violence, including the execution of Officer Underwood,” the sister's attorney, Ted Leopold, said. “It is clip that Facebook is yet held accountable for its actions.”

Federal prosecutors person said Steven Carrillo, an Air Force sergeant, met his accomplice Robert Alvin Justus Jr., done a Facebook boogaloo radical wherever they agreed to instrumentality vantage of the radical justness protests to onslaught instrumentality enforcement officers. Messages obtained by investigators amusement the men agreed to conscionable successful idiosyncratic and thrust to the Oakland protest, wherever prosecutors said Carrillo fired astatine Underwood and his spouse with a homemade battle firearm earlier fleeing.

Carrillo was arrested 8 days aboriginal aft helium changeable and killed a Santa Cruz Sheriff's sergeant and wounded 4 different officers who tracked down his conveyance successful the assemblage of Ben Lomond. Carrillo has pleaded not blameworthy to some killings. Court documents uncover Carrillo besides had ties to a rightwing militia known arsenic the Grizzly Scouts that held firearms trainings, scouted protests, and laid retired presumption of “war” against police.

After Underwood's killing, Facebook pledged to region groups, accounts and pages affiliated with the far-right radical from its services. But the suit alleges groups tied to the boogaloo question persist connected the platform.

"We’ve banned much than 1,000 militarized societal movements from our level and enactment intimately with experts to code the broader contented of net radicalization. These claims are without ineligible basis,” said Kevin McAlister, a spokesperson for Meta.