An Orange County man pleaded guilty to repeated shooting of an Orange County Sheriff’s helicopter after drinking during a birthday party.
Justin Derek Jennings, 40, of Laguna Niguel, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to damage, destroy, negate or destroy an aircraft in a special US aircraft jurisdiction on August 8th.
On March 9, 2024, Jennings was holding a birthday ralliance at home with his family. He was drinking and got mad for unrevealed reasons. After most of his family left the house, he took out a rifle from his gun safety and fired the entire magazine ammunition inside his home, prosecutors said.
The remaining family members who were inside the house fled the residence and reported the shooting to law enforcement.
OCSD deputies and police helicopters responded to the home. When Jennings found the helicopter, he went upstairs and began firing a semi-automatic rifle into the air, only firing the helicopter when it was visible to him, authorities said.
Filming continued sporadically for at least 20 minutes. After talking to the sheriff’s aide, Jennings finally left his house and surrendered to the authorities.
While searching for his residence, lawmakers seized two revolvers, two handguns, two rifles and multiple ammunition. I found bullet casings scattered across the floor.
On August 8, he pleaded guilty to the charges. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 20, 2026, and could be up to 20 years in federal prisons.
The incident was investigated by the FBI and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
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