Police said they had identified at least five gunmen, but there may have been more. Only two suspects – both brothers injured in the shootings – have been arrested in connection with the shooting and, so far, face only gun charges. “We are still working on … who the real shooters are in the case,” Sgt. said Zach Eaton. Until Wednesday’s announcement, police remained silent about what led to the shooting that erupted in the early hours of Sunday as the bars were coming out. Rapid explosions with more than 100 shots echoed in the streets as terrified spectators ran to save their lives and others were hit by bullets. Authorities credited witnesses who contributed nearly 200 videos, photos and other tips to help with the investigation. Police declined to name the gangs involved or the involvement of any suspects. One of the detained brothers was released from prison about two months ago and was released earlier this year after prosecutors argued that “it is clearly of little importance to human life”, the documents show. Smiley Martin, 27, who was released on bail in February, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of possessing a firearm by a banned person and possessing a machine gun. Hours before Sunday’s attack, Martin posted a live video on Facebook of himself wielding a pistol, a police official told the Associated Press. Police were trying to determine if a stolen weapon found at the crime scene was used in the massacre. It had been turned into a weapon capable of firing automatically. Detectives were also trying to determine if Martin’s gun was used in the video, according to the official, who was briefed on the investigation but was not authorized to discuss the matter in public and spoke on condition of anonymity. Martin and his brother were among those injured when gunfire erupted about a block from the state Capitol at 2 a.m. Sunday as bars closed and crowds filled the streets. Investigators have previously said they were trying to determine if a fight outside a nightclub may have triggered the shooting. Sacramento County Medical Examiner has identified the three women killed as 21-year-old Johntaya Alexander. 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 injured in addition to the Martin brothers, and at least two remained in hospital with gunshot wounds. Smiley Martin has been arrested at the hospital and will be held when his condition improves enough to go to jail, police said. His brother, Dandrae Martin, 26, was arrested Monday as a “relative suspect” and appeared briefly in Sacramento Supreme Court on Tuesday on a charge of carrying a firearm. Investigators believe the two brothers stole weapons and are trying to determine how they got them, a law enforcement official told the AP. A 31-year-old man who was seen carrying a gun shortly after the shooting was arrested on Tuesday on a weapons charge. Police said they did not believe his weapon was used in the shooting. Smiley Martin has a criminal record dating back to 2013. He was suspended from state prison in February after serving about half of his 10-year sentence for punching a girl, dragging her from her home and flogging her. a belt. prosecutors said. Martin may have been released earlier, but a release committee rejected his offer of early release in May after prosecutors said the 2017 assault, along with convictions for possession of an assault weapon and theft, posed a “significant, unreasonable security risk.” for the community “. Martin “clearly has little respect for human life and the law,” and has exemplified a pattern of criminal behavior since he was 18, a Sacramento County attorney general wrote in a letter to the Suspension Hearing Council last year. It was not clear if Smiley Martin had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. Dandrae Martin, who was held without bail, was released from an Arizona jail in 2020 after serving just over 18 months for violating the suspension in separate cases involving marijuana possession and aggravated assault. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg told reporters Wednesday that he had “serious questions” about why the brothers “took to the streets.” “And these questions need to be answered and will be answered in the coming days,” Steinberg said. Defense attorney Linda Parisi said any attempt to secure Dandrae Martin bail would depend on whether prosecutors would file harsher charges. “If it turns out that the evidence shows that this was a mere presence on a stage that definitely supports more liberation,” Paris said. “If he shows any more aggressive behavior, then he would oppose. “But we do not know yet.”
This version corrects that Smiley Martin served about half of his 10-year prison sentence, not about two years of his tenure.
Melley reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Stefanie Dazio, Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Don Thompson in Sacramento, Michael Balsamo in Washington, Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix and news researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.
