Third arrest made in connection to Sacramento mass shooting that left 6 dead
Police announced the arrests of two more suspects Tuesday in connection with the chaotic shooting in downtown Sacramento that left six dead over the weekend, bringing the total number of arrests to three as police continue to investigate.
Sacramento Police announced a third arrest Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say Daviyonne Dawson, 31, was caught on camera wielding a firearm after the shooting, though police do not believe the weapon was used in the shootout. He was taken into custody late Monday and faces a charge of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, Sacramento Police said.
Earlier Tuesday, authorities said Smiley Martin, 27, would face charges in the shooting. He was one of the 12 people found injured at the scene and was "quickly identified as a person of interest," the Sacramento Police Department said in a statement. A law enforcement official, who was briefed on the investigation but could not discuss the details publicly, told The Associated Press that Martin had taken a live video on Facebook hours before the shooting and brandished a handgun. Investigators are working to determine whether the weapon was used in the shooting.
Martin was arrested Tuesday on charges of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun.
Dandrae Martin, whom police identified as Smiley Martin's brother, was arrested Monday and faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon and illegal firearms possession. Dandrae Martin was scheduled to appear in Sacramento Superior Court on Tuesday, according to jail records. He's being held without bail.
Investigators believe the brothers possessed stolen guns and are working to review financial documents, call records and social media messages to determine how and when they procured weapons, the official said. Authorities have searched several locations in connection with the shooting and the firearms investigation.
SUSPECTED ARRESTED:6 killed in Sacramento shooting rampage; community holds vigil for victims
The arrests comes after the community held a candlelight vigil Monday, where Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg read the names of the six people who were killed in the shooting. More than 100 rounds were fired around 2 a.m. Sunday outside the city's entertainment district as bar patrons filled the streets after a large fight broke out.
Investigators are combing through hundreds of pieces of evidence and examining more than 170 videos and photos shared through an online portal created for the public, police said. Neither suspect has been charged with homicide, and Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said in a statement Monday that she expected more arrests.
“The investigation is highly complex involving many witnesses, videos of numerous types and significant physical evidence,” Schubert said in a statement.
Here's what we know Tuesday:
Who were the victims?
The Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the three men and three women killed as Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and De'vazia Turner, 29.
Twelve people were wounded and at least four suffered critical injuries, according to the Sacramento Fire Department. At least seven of the wounded were released from hospitals Monday.
Turner had four young children, including a 3-year-old daughter named Penelope. Born and raised in Sacramento, he played football from a young age until a knee injury slowed him down. He worked as a manager for an inventory company, keeping a close eye on things his mother might like and letting her know when they would go on sale.
“He was a protector,” his mother, Penelope Scott, said. “Raising him as a single mom, you know, he took the role of being the man of the house. He took care of everything.”
Turner’s father, Frank Turner, told the Sacramento Bee that his son had gone to the London nightclub and was with his cousin, Harris, when the shooting broke out. Both were killed.
“He was out just having fun with his friends,” Turner told Fox40. “There’s just nothing to say. I’m just here. I’m grief, that’s all – grief."
Kay Harris, Sergio's sister, told The Associated Press she thought her brother had been at the London.
"My son was a very vivacious young man," his mother, Pamela, told KCRA 3.
Alexander was a doting aunt who wanted to work with children as a social worker.
“She was just beginning her life,” her father, John Alexander, told the Los Angeles Times, sobbing. “Stop all this senseless shooting.”
Teresa Andrade told Fox26 her daughter loved music and had traveled to Sacramento for a Tyler the Creator concert.
A small bouquet of purple roses at the site of the shooting was dedicated to Davis, who lived on the streets for years, according to the Bee.
Shawn Peter, a guide with the Downtown Sacramento Partnership who had known Davis for 15 years, told the newspaper that she had been homeless and lived in the area on and off for a decade.
Officials had helped her find housing before the pandemic began but she had returned to the downtown business district in recent months, Peter said. A small bouquet of purple roses with a note saying “Melinda Rest In Peace” was left on the street in her memory.
“Melinda was a very eccentric individual, a very sassy lady,” he told the newspaper. “This was her world, 24/7.”
Hoye-Lucchesi was a dedicated father of six, Nana Turner, the mother of his two oldest children, told the Bee.
“His kids was his whole entire heart, and he’s really going to be truly missed, by his kids, and myself, and his mother, and a lot of friends,” Nana Turner told the outlet.
Authorities investigating multiple suspects
Investigators found a stolen handgun at the scene, which police said in a statement was modified into an automatic weapon.
Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester did not say what kind of gun was used in the shooting. Officials did not know whether the victims were targeted, she said.
Detectives and SWAT team members found one handgun during searches of three homes in the area, police said after arresting the first suspect.
Police said Dawson, the latest suspect arrested in connection to the shooting, was not facing charges directly as part of the attack, though detectives "are continuing to investigate," Sacramento Police said in a statement. Police said they found a handgun when taking Dawson into custody.
The two brothers who face charges in the shooting have criminal histories that include violent crimes.
A year ago, prosecutors argued for Smiley Martin, 27, to remain in prison when he was up for early release amid a 10-year sentence for domestic violence and assault with great bodily injury, documents obtained by the AP show. Prosecutors told the state parole board he routinely violated the law and noted his previous convictions for possessing an assault weapon, stealing electronics from department stores and beating a girlfriend he encouraged to be a prostitute.
“Martin’s criminal conduct is violent and lengthy,” a Sacramento prosecutor wrote in a letter obtained by AP. “Martin has committed several felony violations and clearly has little regard for human life and the law.”
The letter includes an ominous warning from prosecutors, according to the Sacramento Bee: “If he is released early, he will continue to break the law.”
His brother, Dandrae Martin was freed from an Arizona prison in 2020 after serving just over 1½ years 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.
FROM SUNDAY:Police seek multiple suspects after shooting killed 6, injured 12 in downtown Sacramento
He was also wanted on a misdemeanor warrant by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California. The Sheriff's Department said the charges stemmed from a 2015 arrest by the Blythe Police Department, but no other information was immediately available.
Lester told KCRA, the local NBC affiliate, investigators were still working to determine what Martin's role was in the shooting. Police said the district attorney is reviewing evidence to determine appropriate charges for the suspects, and more charges may be filed.
What happened during the shooting?
Lester said a large fight broke out right before the shooting. Videos showed people fighting on a street lined with an upscale hotel, nightclubs and bars when gunshots sent people scattering.
Asa Pickett, who was at the Dive Bar on Saturday, told The Record, part of the USA TODAY Network, he heard about 100 rounds. He and his friends saw people running into one another, and his group found an area in a nearby alley where they hid for about 45 minutes.
"We came out, and there were bodies on the ground," he said.
Sacramento community holds vigil for shooting victims
Members of the Sacramento community gathered downtown Monday evening to mourn the victims of Sunday's deadly shooting.
Monday morning, community members lined the sidewalk with a makeshift memorial of candles, flowers and stuffed animals, the Bee reported. Later that day, the city's mayor, Darrell Steinberg, read the names of the six victims at the vigil.
"We gather today to mourn their senseless deaths," he said. "And we gather for their loved ones, who are represented tonight," motioning to a line of people standing behind him holding flowers, candles and photos of the victims.
Jackie Henderson, a cousin of Sergio Harris, who was killed in the shooting, called for action by public officials during the vigil.
"How many times are we going to sit back and talk about the next time?" he asked the crowd. "A change has to start. When the hell are we going to let it start?"
Contributing: Angelaydet Rocha, The Record; The Associated Press
Contact Breaking News Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg