Sacramento Police have named a third suspect in the gang related mass shooting that happened in downtown Sacramento April 3rd, killing six people and injuring a dozen more.
According to police 27-year-old Mtula Payton was one of at least five suspected shooters. Police are actively searching for Payton who has multiple felony warrants, including for gun charges and domestic violence.
Hours before the downtown shooting, Police were called out to a home on a report that a woman was injured. She claimed that Payton, who was no longer at the home, had abused her. Police issued a warrant.
Police previously named Smiley Martin and his brother Dandrae Martin as suspected shooters. Smiley Martin remains in the hospital under police supervision and Dandrea is currently incarcerated and being held with out bail. Both face charges in connection with the shooting.
At this point, no one has been charged with homicide, however the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the evidence and said more charges could be filed.
Both brothers were among the 12 injured in the shooting in which police found more than 100 shell casings.
Press Release From Sacramento Police Department:
Aguayo News Previously Reported
A second suspect has been arrested in connection to the mass shooting that happened over the weekend that killed six people and wounded 12, according to Police in Sacramento
A statement released by police on Tuesday says 27-year-old Smiley Martin was seriously injured in the shootout early Sunday and is still in the hospital. Martin will be booked into jail once he is released from the hospital. He faces charges of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun.
According to police, Martin is the brother of the first suspect that was arrested, 26-year-old Dandrae Martin. Neither has been charged with homicide.
Pictures posted to the social media account of Smiley Martin appear to indicate that Martin claims to be associated with the Crips.
Here is the Sacramento Police Report Released Tuesday:
On April 3, 2022, Sacramento Police Department officers responded to the sound of shots fired in the area of 10th Street and K Street. Officers located multiple gunshot victims and began rendering life-saving measures. Despite these efforts, six victims were pronounced deceased at the scene. Twelve other victims with varying degrees of injuries from gunfire were also located. At least three buildings and three vehicles were damaged by gunfire.
Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators have worked continuously since this incident happened to investigate this crime. Detectives have located hundreds of items of evidence at the scene, including over 100 expended shell casings, and a stolen handgun which has now been inspected and found to have been converted to a weapon capable of automatic gunfire.
During this investigation, Sacramento Police Department SWAT officers and detectives developed additional information and served search warrants at three residences in the Sacramento area resulting in the seizure of a handgun.
Detectives identified 26-year-old Dandrae Martin as a suspect in this shooting. On April 4, 2022, Martin was arrested and booked in the Sacramento Main Jail for assault with a firearm and for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
A second suspect has now been identified in this incident. 27-year-old Smiley Martin was located at the scene with serious injuries from gunfire and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. 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.
Once Smiley Martin’s medical care has been completed and he is determined to be fit for incarceration, he will be booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun.
Smiley Martin is the brother of Dandrae Martin.
Investigators continue to examine evidence, contact witnesses, and interview involved parties to gain a complete understanding of the incident. As these processes occur, different and/or additional charges may apply. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office will be reviewing all evidence to determine appropriate charges.
We want to thank the community for the overwhelming assistance that has been provided. To date, we have received over 170 video and/or photo files provided through the community evidence portal. We continue to encourage any community members with related videos and/or photos to submit them through our citizen evidence portal.
Aguayo News Previously Reported:
Authorities have identified and arrested 26-year-old Dandrea Martin in connection with the Sacramento Mass Shooting that resulted in the deaths of 6 people.
Sacramento police have called Martin a “related suspect,” however his role in the shooting is not clear.
Marin was booked on charges of assault and illegal firearm possession.
According to a police report, the arrest was made after the SWAT team and detectives served search warrants at several different homes. During which, at least one handgun was recovered.
Police stated that they found 100 casings at the scene, and multiple shooters were involved.
Aguayo News Original Report:
Police in California are searching for at least one suspect after a mass shooting took place early Sunday morning in downtown Sacramento.
Police have confirmed that 6 people were killed and 10 were transported to area hospitals.
Kathy Lester, the Sacramento Police Chief said at a news conference that police were patrolling the area at about 2 a.m. when they heard gunfire erupt. When they arrived at the scene, they found a large crowd gathered on the street and six people dead. Another 10 either took themselves or were transported to hospitals. No information was given on their conditions.
Authorities say there is a possibility that more than one suspect was involved and that it is a ‘very complex scene.’ They are asking that any witnesses, anyone with any information or recordings of the shooting contact the police.
After shooting took place, a video was posted to Twitter. In the video you could hear rapid gunfire while people in the street are fighting. Another Video shows people running in the streets and multiple ambulances arrive to the scene.
The shooting took place in an area that is packed with restaurants and bars, including the London nightclub. Residents have been asked to avoid the area.
The streets around the London Club have been closed and taped off by police.
One witness described the scene to the AP shortly after the shooting,
“The first thing I saw was like victims. I saw a young girl with a whole bunch of blood in her body, a girl taking off glass from her, a young girl screaming saying, ‘They killed my sister.’ A mother running up, ‘Where’s my son, has my son been shot?’“
California, which is run by Democrat Governor Gavin Newsome has one of the highest crime rates in the country. The murder rate in California spiked by 30% in 2020 and, according to crime statistics, continues to rise in 2021 and 2022.
According to the latest data from the State of California Department of Justice in 2020 there were 173,864 Violent Crimes, 2,202 Homicides, 13,439 Rapes, and 44,684 Robberies.
California’s murder rate climbed 30% from 2020 to 2021 and continues to rise in 2022.
As for the city of Sacramento, which is run by Democrat Mayor Darrell Steinberg, the crime statistics of the City of Sacramento’s monthly chief report for November 2021 indicates Crime is on the rise in the city.
- Number of homicides: 57
- Highest amount since the 59 homicides in 2016
- Number of victims shot: 240
- 25% increase over 2020
- Total number of firearms seized: 1,512
- 25% more than 2020
- Number of incidents involving an officer being assaulted or resisted: 690
- Calls for service- mental health-related: 12,478
- Sacramento PD averaged 37.5 mental health-related calls for service every day
- Number of fatal traffic collisions: 53
- Highest amount since at least 1990
- Number of injury collisions: Over 2,200
- Median response time to emergency calls for service: 10:48 minutes
- 8.9% increase over 2020
California has the strictest gun laws in the nation. The state also has the most robust system in the country for taking firearms away from people who are not allowed to have them.
California is also the first state in the country to create a database identifying people who legally purchased guns but were subsequently deemed too dangerous to be armed.
California State Attorney General . Rob Bonta has come under fire as of late and has become known to many in California as an “anticop politician”
In fact one billboard in the state says,
“How can someone who cares more about criminals’ rights than victims’ rights, and is routinely at odds with law enforcement, serve as our state’s top cop? It’s time for a change.”
According to a recent UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, two thirds of registered voters in California say crime is a major problem, with more than half saying Governor Newsom is doing a poor job on public safety.
However these same voters are approving measures like Proposition 47, a voter-approved ballot measure that Newsom supported which lowers felony drug and theft offenses to misdemeanors and says that theft under $950 cannot be prosecuted.
Voters also approved Proposition 57, a measure that allows prisoners to be released earlier then their assigned sentences.
Republican politicians are demanding an end to the liberal policies that are viewed as soft on crime and blamed for the spiking crime in the state.
Assembly Member Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), who is running for Congress in Sacramento called Proposition 47 a “failed policy” that has inflicted “disastrous consequences” on Californians.
According to the L.A. Times, Kiley along with more than 12 other Republican legislators have introduced Assembly Bill 1599 to repeal the law.
“I believe Californians are fed up with this sort of lawlessness,” Kiley said. “They are ready to have a rational public safety policy again.”
