Brothers Dandrae Martin, left, and Smiley Allen Martin were arrested in connection with a mass shooting that killed six people and injured 12 in Sacramento. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation & Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry via AP)
A mass shooting in downtown Sacramento at 2 a.m. on April 3 that left six people dead and 12 people wounded may have been a shootout between rival gangs involving at least five shooters, police said.
At least 75 shots were fired into a large group of people fighting on the street and bystanders were hit. The shooting occurred as bars closed and patrons were filing into the street near the California State Capitol, Sacramento City Hall, and the Golden 1 Center, where the city’s NBA team plays home games.
The shooting in Sacramento is one of more than 115 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year that have claimed 130 lives and left 495 injured, according to Gun Violence Archive.
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Authorities said they had received more than 100 video or photo files on a tip portal. Video footage of the shooting was posted on social media that appears to show an altercation before the shooting, police said.
Police have arrested at leat three people including two brothers — Dandrae Martin, 26, and Smiley Martin, 27. Both were taken into custody and are believed to be responsible for firing into the downtown crowd, according to Sacramento Police Officer Chad Lewis.
Also arrested was 31-year-old Daviyonne Dawson, who was seen carrying a gun in the aftermath of the shooting but did not actually fire it. Dawson, who has a criminal record, faces charges of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
Smiley Martin was seriously injured in the gunfire and remains hospitalized. He will be booked into jail once he is physically fit for incarceration. Martin, who has a criminal record, faces charges of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun, The Associated Press reported.
Just hours before the shootout, Martin posted a live Facebook video of himself brandishing a handgun, a law enforcement official said. Authorities have yet to determine whether the weapon seen in the video was used in the shooting. Dandrae Martin is facing charges of assault and illegal possession of a firearm.
Neither Smiley nor Dandrae Martin has been charged with homicide.
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office identified the six victims who died, CNN reported. They are Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; Devazia Turner, 29.
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Detectives said they have found “hundreds of items of evidence at the scene,” including more than 100 shell casings, according to a press release. Investigators also found a stolen handgun that had been “converted to a weapon capable of automatic gunfire,” police said.
Bullets hit at least three buildings and three cars.
“There were a lot of shots fired that night, and hence the complexity of the investigation,” Sacramento Police Chief Katherine Lester said. There were multiple shooters and a large fight preceded the gunfire, Lester said.
The deadly incident was likely a shootout between rival gangs, police said without going into detail.
Two different men fired guns on the same street. While police piece together what happened, they have revealed that a man in a car drove up to the street and unleashed a sustained barrage of bullets. At least one other person also fired a gun.
Photo: Brothers Dandrae Martin, left, and Smiley Allen Martin were arrested in connection with a mass shooting that killed six people and injured 12 in Sacramento. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation & Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry via AP)
