Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

PBS and NPR Mount Last-Ditch Fight to Save Federal Funding

15 hours ago

Netanyahu Under Mounting Political Pressure After Party Quits

15 hours ago

Wall Street Opens Higher After Inflation, Bank Results

16 hours ago

Sick of Loud Ads on Netflix? A Proposed California Law Turns Down the Volume

1 day ago

Record Numbers of Americans Say Immigration Is Good for Country: Gallup Poll

2 days ago

In California Strawberry Fields, Immigration Raids Sow Fear

2 days ago

Newsom’s Office Attacks Stephen Miller, Calling Him a ‘Fascist Cuck’

2 days ago

Trump’s Spending Bill Will Likely Boost Costs for Insurers, Shrink Medicaid Coverage

2 days ago
Sacramento Killings Involved at Least 5 Shooters From Rival Gangs
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 years ago on
April 6, 2022

Share

 

SACRAMENTO — The mass killing that left six people dead and 12 wounded outside bars just a block from California’s Capitol last weekend was a gunfight involving at least five shooters from rival gangs, Sacramento police said Wednesday.

Police said they identified at least five gunmen but there may have been more. Only two suspects — both brothers wounded by gunfire — have been arrested in connection with the shooting and, so far, only face firearms charges.

“We’re still working through … who the actual shooters are in the case,” Sgt. Zach Eaton said.

Until Wednesday’s announcement, police had been silent on the motive for the shooting that erupted early Sunday as bars were letting out. Rapid-fire bursts of over 100 gunshots echoed through the streets as terrified patrons ran for their lives and others were hit by bullets.

Videos, Photos, Tips Power the Investigation

Authorities credited witnesses who contributed nearly 200 videos, photos, and other tips with helping the investigation.

Police declined to name the two gangs involved or the affiliation of any suspects.

This Feb. 6, 2022, booking photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows Smiley Allen Martin two days before he was released to Sacramento County probation for his sentence on charges of corporal injury and assault. Martin was arrested Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in connection with a mass shooting that killed six people in Sacramento. (CDCR via AP)

One of the brothers in custody was freed from prison about two months ago and last year was rejected for earlier release after prosecutors argued he “clearly has little regard for human life,” documents show.

Smiley Martin, 27, who was released on probation in February, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun. Hours before Sunday’s attack, Martin posted a live Facebook video of himself brandishing a handgun, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

Police were trying to determine if a stolen handgun found at the crime scene was used in the massacre. It had been converted to a weapon capable of automatic gunfire.

Detectives also were trying to determine whether the gun Martin brandished in the video was used, according to the official, who was briefed on the investigation but was not authorized to publicly discuss details and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Martin and his brother were among those wounded when gunfire erupted about a block from the state Capitol at about 2 a.m. Sunday as bars closed and patrons filled the streets.

Did Street Fight Spark the Mass Killings?

Investigators have said previously that they were trying to determine if a street fight outside a nightclub may have sparked the shooting.

The Sacramento County coroner identified the three women killed as Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; and Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21. The three men killed were Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and De’vazia Turner, 29.

Ten people were wounded in addition to the Martin brothers and at least two remained hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

Smiley Martin was arrested in the hospital and will be booked when his condition improves enough for him to be jailed, police said.

His brother, Dandrae Martin, 26, was arrested Monday as a “related suspect” and appeared briefly Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court on a charge of being a convict carrying a loaded gun.

Investigators believe both brothers had stolen guns and are trying to determine how they got them, the law enforcement official told the AP.

A 31-year-old man seen carrying a handgun immediately after the shooting was arrested Tuesday on a weapons charge. Police said they don’t believe his gun was used in the shooting.

Smiley Martin’s Criminal History

Smiley Martin has a criminal history dating to 2013. He was released on probation from state prison in February after serving about half of a 10-year sentence for punching a girlfriend, dragging her from her home by her hair, and whipping her with a belt, prosecutors said.

Martin might have been released sooner, but a Parole Board rejected his bid for early release in May after prosecutors said the 2017 felony assault along with convictions for possessing an assault weapon and thefts posed “a significant, unreasonable risk of safety to the community.”

Martin “clearly has little regard for human life and the law,” and has displayed a pattern of criminal behavior from the time he was 18, a Sacramento County deputy district attorney wrote in a letter last year to the Board of Parole Hearings.

It wasn’t clear if Smiley Martin had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Dandrae Martin, who was held without bail, was freed from an Arizona prison in 2020 after serving just over 18 months for violating probation in separate cases involving marijuana possession and aggravated assault.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg told reporters Wednesday he had “serious questions” about why the brothers “were out on the streets.”

“And those questions need to be answered and they will be answered over the days ahead,” Steinberg said.

Defense lawyer Linda Parisi said any effort to seek Dandrae Martin’s release on bail will depend on whether prosecutors bring stiffer charges.

“If it turns out that the evidence demonstrates that this was mere presence at a scene that certainly argues more for a release,” Parisi said. “If it shows some more aggressive conduct then it would argue against it. But we don’t know that yet.”

Penelope Scott holds a collection of family photos including one of her son, De’vazia Turner, one of the victims killed in a mass shooting, during an interview with The Associated Press in Elk Grove on Monday, April 4, 2022. (AP/Rich Pedroncelli)

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

So Your Doctor Is a DO. Does That Matter?

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Found Dead After Hike Near Courtright Reservoir

DON'T MISS

Former US Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Phone Company Hacking, Extortion Case

DON'T MISS

Fresno City Attorney Briefly Ineligible to Practice Law, Cites State Bar Error

DON'T MISS

Grass Fire East of Sanger Contained at 21 Acres, CalFire Says

DON'T MISS

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

DON'T MISS

What to Know About the Epstein Files, a Perfect Recipe for Conspiracy Theories

DON'T MISS

US Military to Remove 2,000 National Guard Troops From Los Angeles

DON'T MISS

Mexico Pledges Action Should US Talks Fail by August Tariff Deadline

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Armed Man Found Asleep in Car

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Found Dead After Hike Near Courtright Reservoir

UP NEXT

Former US Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Phone Company Hacking, Extortion Case

UP NEXT

Fresno City Attorney Briefly Ineligible to Practice Law, Cites State Bar Error

UP NEXT

Grass Fire East of Sanger Contained at 21 Acres, CalFire Says

UP NEXT

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

UP NEXT

What to Know About the Epstein Files, a Perfect Recipe for Conspiracy Theories

UP NEXT

US Military to Remove 2,000 National Guard Troops From Los Angeles

UP NEXT

Mexico Pledges Action Should US Talks Fail by August Tariff Deadline

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Armed Man Found Asleep in Car

UP NEXT

Trump Says Democratic Rival Schiff Should Be ‘Brought to Justice’ for Alleged Fraud

Fresno City Attorney Briefly Ineligible to Practice Law, Cites State Bar Error

7 hours ago

Grass Fire East of Sanger Contained at 21 Acres, CalFire Says

7 hours ago

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

7 hours ago

What to Know About the Epstein Files, a Perfect Recipe for Conspiracy Theories

8 hours ago

US Military to Remove 2,000 National Guard Troops From Los Angeles

8 hours ago

Mexico Pledges Action Should US Talks Fail by August Tariff Deadline

8 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Armed Man Found Asleep in Car

8 hours ago

Trump Says Democratic Rival Schiff Should Be ‘Brought to Justice’ for Alleged Fraud

9 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Seeks Help Finding Missing Bass Lake Man

10 hours ago

Crypto Bills Hit Procedural Snag in Congress

10 hours ago

So Your Doctor Is a DO. Does That Matter?

By most measures, osteopathic medicine is a profession in its prime. The number of doctors of osteopathic medicine, or DOs, has grown 70% in...

6 hours ago

The number of osteopathic doctors has increased dramatically. People still don’t know what they are. (Sonia Pulido/The New York Times)
6 hours ago

So Your Doctor Is a DO. Does That Matter?

6 hours ago

Fresno Man Found Dead After Hike Near Courtright Reservoir

A hooded man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

Former US Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Phone Company Hacking, Extortion Case

7 hours ago

Fresno City Attorney Briefly Ineligible to Practice Law, Cites State Bar Error

A grass fire east of Sanger burned 21 acres Tuesday, July 15, 2025, afternoon before being contained, CalFire said. (CalFire)
7 hours ago

Grass Fire East of Sanger Contained at 21 Acres, CalFire Says

7 hours ago

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

Jack Posobiec, a far-right political activist, carries a binder labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” as he exits the White House in Washington, Feb. 27, 2025. Here’s what to know about the disturbing facts and unsubstantiated suspicions that make Jeffrey Epstein, a registered sex offender, a politically potent obsession. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)
8 hours ago

What to Know About the Epstein Files, a Perfect Recipe for Conspiracy Theories

A demonstrator raises his hand holding flowers as members of the National Guard stand in formation outside a federal building during the No Kings protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 14, 2025. (Reuters File)
8 hours ago

US Military to Remove 2,000 National Guard Troops From Los Angeles

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend