A second suspect has been arrested over a mass shooting in Sacramento that killed six people and wounded 12 in California’s capital, and police say he is the brother of the first suspect.
Smiley Martin, 27, was arrested while being treated in hospital with serious injuries from the gunfire. When he is fit for jail, he will be charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun, a police statement said.
More than 100 shots were fired early on Sunday in central Sacramento, creating a chaotic scene with hundreds of people trying desperately to get to safety.
A day later police announced the arrest of Dandrae Martin, 26, as a “related suspect” on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and being a convict carrying a loaded gun. A court appearance was set for Tuesday.
Detectives and Swat team members found one handgun during searches of three homes in the area.
Police said Smiley Martin was found at the scene and was taken to hospital.
“Smiley Martin was quickly identified as a person of interest and has remained under the supervision of an officer at the hospital while his treatment continues. Based on information developed during this investigation, Smiley Martin was taken into custody by Sacramento Police Department detectives on April 5 2022,” the statement said.
The arrests came as the three women and three men killed were identified. The shooting occurred at about 2am on Sunday as bars were closing and patrons filled the streets near the state Capitol.
The dead included a father of four, a young woman who wanted to be a social worker, a man described as the life of the party, and a woman who lived on the streets nearby and was looking for housing.
The Sacramento County coroner identified the women killed as Johntaya Alexander, 21, Melinda Davis, 57, and Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21. The three men were Sergio Harris, 38, Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32, and De’vazia Turner, 29.
Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg read their names during a vigil on Monday evening attended by grieving relatives, friends and community members.
“So we gather here to remember the victims and to commit ourselves to doing all we can to ending the stain of violence, not only in our community but throughout the state, throughout the country, and throughout the world,” he said.
Thank you to all the hardworking officers in the @SacPolice who have worked so methodically and quickly to apprehend suspects in this horrific shooting. https://t.co/NGa8pdMQ5t
Advertisement— @mayor_Steinberg (@Mayor_Steinberg) April 5, 2022
Mr Turner, who had three daughters and a son, was a “protector” who worked as the night manager at an inventory company, his mother Penelope Scott told the Associated Press. He rarely went out, and she had no reason to believe he would be in harm’s way when he left her house after he visited on Saturday night.
“My son was walking down the street and somebody started shooting, and he got shot. Why is that to happen?” she said. “I feel like I’ve got a hole in my heart.”
Police are investigating whether the shooting was connected to a street fight that broke out just before gunfire erupted. Several people could be seen in videos clashing on a street lined with an upscale hotel, nightclubs and bars when gunshots sent people scattering.
Detectives are also trying to determine if a stolen handgun found at the scene was connected to the shooting, Police Chief Kathy Lester said. Witnesses answered her plea for help by providing more than 100 videos and photos of evidence.
District attorney Anne Marie Schubert said Dandrae Martin was not arrested on suspicion of homicide, but suggested investigators were making progress.
“The investigation is highly complex involving many witnesses, videos of numerous types and significant physical evidence,” she said in a statement. “This is an ongoing investigation and we anticipate more arrests in this case.”
Dandrae Martin was freed from an Arizona prison in 2020 after serving just over 18 months for violating probation in separate cases involving a felony conviction for aggravated assault in 2016 and a conviction on a marijuana charge in 2018.
Court records show he pleaded guilty to punching, kicking and choking a woman in a hotel room when she refused to work for him as a prostitute.
Of the 12 wounded, at least four suffered critical injuries, Sacramento Fire Department said. At least seven of the victims had been released from hospital by Monday.
