UPDATED 4/5, 10:20 a.m.: A second suspect, 27-year-old Smiley Martin, has been arrested in connection with the shooting, CBS News reports. Smiley is currently in the hospital after being seriously injured in the shooting, but will head to jail when he’s discharged.
He’s the brother of Dandrae Martin, and faces charges of “possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun,” per the outlet.
A third man was also arrested, but the suspect hasn’t been charged with crimes related to the shooting, police say.
Daviyonne Dawson was arrested for being in possession of a firearm as a prohibited person. Police say he was seen carrying a gun “in the immediate aftermath” of the shooting.
UPDATED 4/4, 3:27 p.m.: A 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the shooting. A police statement says Dandrae Martin was taken into custody just before 1 a.m. Monday on charges of assault and illegal firearm possession.
“As the investigation progressed, Sacramento Police Department SWAT and detectives served search warrants at three residences in the area,” the statement adds. “During the execution of the search warrants, at least one handgun was recovered.”
Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester told KCRA 3, “As you know this is a complex investigation and we’re looking for multiple suspects and so we’re currently working to identify what his role was the night of the shooting.”
The identities of the victims, three men and three women, have been confirmed as Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; and Devazia Turner, 29.
See original story below.
A shooting in Sacramento has left 6 people dead and at least 12 injured after people opened fire in a crowded area, per The Sacramento Bee.
Local police are now searching for suspects in the Sunday shooting, which took place around 2 a.m., according to Sacramento Police Chief Katherine Lester. Police believe multiple shooters were involved.
Lester added that it remains unclear if the crowd was gathering for a specific place or event, and that police recovered “at least one firearm” from the location of the shooting. Fights leading to the shooting broke out as bars and clubs began to let out for the night, per the Bee. Police said they are aware of a video on social media “that appears to show an altercation that preceded the shooting.” They are “currently working to determine what, if any, relation these events have to the shooting.”
“A lot of guns going off and they were big handguns, they weren’t rifles,” said 67-year-old Sue Lockwood, who heard the shooting. “I was sitting up in my tent and I zipped it up and laid down. There was no foxhole. It went on for quite a while. There was a lot of gunshots. It wasn’t just some drunk guy.”
According to the Bee, a law enforcement source shared that police are investigating if automatic weapons were involved, and are currently looking at cameras and license-plate readers. The shooting appears to be the largest mass shooting in the city’s history, per the Bee.
“Words can’t express my shock & sadness this morning,” Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg tweeted. “The numbers of dead and wounded are difficult to comprehend. We await more information about exactly what transpired in this tragic incident… Rising gun violence is the scourge of our city, state and nation, and I support all actions to reduce it. Our new Police Chief, Kathy Lester, has made it a top priority, and I stand firmly behind her.”
