Citrus Heights Police release drone footage from October rooftop standoff

By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights Police Department on Friday released drone footage from an officer-involved shooting that occurred in October.

Drone footage shows domestic violence suspect Justin Phillips atop the roof of a senior living facility near Sunrise Boulevard and Old Auburn Road during a standoff incident that occurred Oct. 21, 2024. Released footage, which is less than one minute in length, shows Phillips pacing on top of the roof near the edge and appearing to brandish a firearm erratically. Officers later determined that the firearm was a replica.

Police said Phillips pointed the firearm multiple times toward officers on the ground below, before officers engaged in gunfire and inflicted Phillips with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. An Oct. 22 news release reported that Phillips also made multiple threats to detonate an explosive device.

Three police officers were involved in the shooting incident. In accordance with department policy, the officers were placed on administrative leave during the investigation. No officers were injured during the incident, police said.

In the released video, police noted that the footage was “edited to show information pertinent to this Critical Incident Debrief.”

Earlier in the afternoon of Oct. 21, officers initially responded to a domestic violence call in the 7500 block of Tiara Way at 4:40 p.m. The victim, a woman, reported that her boyfriend, identified as 41-year-old Justin Phillips, had assaulted her and threatened her with a knife. Officers arrived to find the victim suffering from a head laceration. Phillips had fled the scene on foot before officers arrived, prompting a search of the area.

Later around 7:45 p.m., witnesses reported spotting Phillips near the 7500 block of Sunrise Boulevard. Phillips fled into a nearby senior living facility and made his way onto the roof. Police “engaged in dialogue” with Phillips, who was reportedly acting erratically and appeared to be “under the influence of a controlled substance,” according to the news release.

After two hours of negotiating with the suspect, police said a CHPD Crisis Negotiation and SWAT teams convinced Phillips to come down from the roof. Phillips allegedly continued to resist arrest, leading officers to use “less-than-lethal munitions and a police canine” to subdue him, police said. He was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, including a dog bite.

Sunrise Boulevard was closed at Old Auburn Road for several hours while police continued to investigate, according to witnesses and local news reports.

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Citrus Heights Police Department, Folsom Police Department, and Roseville Police Department were confirmed to be on scene assisting, according to one local news agency, who also reported that the senior living facility had been fully evacuated during the standoff.

Phillips, who was reportedly on parole for burglary and probation for drug-related charges, was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on multiple charges, including armed robbery, domestic battery, and assault with a deadly weapon.