Smiley Martin, 27, who is the brother of the first suspect to be detained, was arrested while in hospital with serious gunshot wounds in the California capital. A year ago, prosecutors asked the state council to release Martin from 10 years in prison, noting his previous convictions for possession of an assault weapon, theft of electronics from department stores and beating of a girl he encouraged. “Martin’s criminal conduct is violent and long-lasting,” a Sacramento prosecutor wrote in a letter to the AP. “Martin has committed many criminal offenses and clearly does not respect human life and the law.” Authorities are trying to determine if the weapon shown in the video was used in the shooting, said the official, who was briefed on the investigation but was unable to discuss details in public and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. Investigators believe the brothers had stolen weapons and are working to check financial documents, call records and social media messages to determine how and when the weapons were procured, the official said. Authorities have investigated several shootings and firearms search sites. More than 100 shots were fired in the early hours of Sunday near the state capital Capitol, creating a chaotic setting with hundreds of people desperately trying to reach safety. Martin was among the 12 injured. Police on Monday announced the arrest of his brother, Dandrae Martin, 26, as a “related suspect” on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon and that he was a convict holding a loaded gun. His first appearance in court is scheduled for Tuesday. Smiley Martin will be punished for possessing a firearm by a banned person and possessing a machine gun when his condition improves enough to go to jail, a police statement said. A stolen pistol found at the crime scene was converted into a weapon capable of firing automatically. Smiley Martin was found at the crime scene and taken to hospital, police said. “Smiley Martin was quickly identified as a person of interest and remained under the supervision of an officer at the hospital while his treatment continued,” the statement said. Detectives and SWAT team members also found a handgun during a search of three homes in the area. The shooting occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday as bars closed and crowds filled the streets. Among the three women and three men killed were a father of four, a young woman who wanted to become a social worker, a man described as party life and a woman who lived on the streets nearby and was looking for a home. Sacramento County Medical Examiner has identified the 21-year-old women killed as Johntaya Alexander. Melinda Davis, 57; and Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21. The three men were Sergio Harris, 38. Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and De’vazia Turner, 29. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg read out their names during a vigil on Monday afternoon attended by grieving relatives, friends and community members. “We are gathering here to remember the victims and to commit to doing what we can to end the stigma of violence, not just in our community but across the state, across the country and around the world,” he said. Steinberg. Turner, who had three daughters and a son, was a “protector” who worked as a night manager at an inventory company, his mother, Penelope Scott, told the Associated Press. He rarely went out and she had no reason to believe she would be in danger when she left her home after his visit on Saturday night. “My son was walking on the street and someone started shooting and was shot. Why should this happen? ” said Scott. “I feel like I have a hole in my heart.” Police were investigating whether the shooting was linked to a street fight that broke out shortly before the shootings broke out. Several people are seen in videos crawling on a street full of a luxury hotel, nightclubs and bars when shots were fired at people. Detectives were also trying to determine if a stolen weapon found at the scene was linked to the shooting, said Police Chief Kathy Lester. Witnesses responded to her call for help by providing more than 100 videos and photos of evidence. Prosecutor Anne Marie Schubert said Monday that Dandrae Martin had not been arrested on suspicion of murder, but said more arrests were expected. Dandrae Martin, who was held without bail, was released from prison in Arizona in 2020 after serving just over 1/2 year for violating the suspension in separate cases involving a felony conviction for aggravated assault in 2016 and a conviction for marijuana. in 2018 Court records show he pleaded guilty to punching, kicking and drowning a woman in a hotel room when she refused to work with him as a prostitute. It was not immediately clear on Tuesday whether the Martins had lawyers who could speak on their behalf. Four of those injured were seriously injured, the Sacramento Fire Department said. At least seven of the victims had been discharged from hospitals by Monday and two patients were still being treated at UC Davis Medical Center on Tuesday, according to spokeswoman Tricia Tomiyoshi. He did not disclose their circumstances. In the scene where the chaos broke out, monuments with candles and flowers sprouted on the same sidewalks where the video showed people screaming and running for shelter as others lay on the ground and spun in pain. A small bouquet of purple roses was dedicated to Melinda Davis, who lived on the streets for years, with a note saying “Melinda rests in peace.” Politicians have condemned the shooting, and some Democrats, including President Joe Biden, have called for tougher action against gun violence. California has some of the toughest gun restrictions in the country, requiring gun and ammunition history checks, limiting cartridges to 10 rounds and banning firearms that fall under its definition of assault weapons. But state lawmakers plan to go further. A bill first heard Tuesday will allow citizens to sue those who possess illegal weapons, a measure that came after a controversial Texas bill aimed at abortion. Another proposed law in California this year would make it easier for people to sue gun companies and target unregistered “ghost guns,” self-made firearms. The California Assembly observed a minute’s silence Monday in honor of the victims. Assembly member Kevin McCarty, a Democrat representing Sacramento, said lawmakers could see the crime scene from the building’s balcony. “The tragedy is too small to describe what happened just two nights ago as a catastrophic loss for our city,” McCarthy said.
Associated Press writers Stefanie Dazio, Brian Melley and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Don Thompson in Sacramento, Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix, and New York-based news researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed to this story.
