At least five shooters involved in gang gunfight in Sacramento massacre that killed six, police say

Mayor says he has ‘serious questions’ about why brothers ‘were out on the streets’

Police have said evidence suggests that there were at least five shooters involved in a gang gunfight during the massacre in Sacramento, California that led to the deaths of six people as well as 12 injuries.

Law enforcement said on Tuesday that Sunday’s violence was likely a fight between rival gangs using automatic and semi-automatic weapons with bystanders getting caught in between, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Police have said that a man drove down 10th street in the central parts of the California capital as people were leaving clubs and bars and fired a large number of bullets.

Three women and three men, all of them were fathers, were killed in the gunfight. Twelve people were wounded and some secured their own transport to hospitals as there weren’t enough ambulances.

At least two people are still in hospital because of their gunshot wounds. No homicide charges have been filed so far.

Authorities credited evidence and tips provided by the public with their break in the investigation. Sacramento Police Sergeant Zach Eaton said investigators are reviewing more than 170 videos and social media posts submitted by members of the public, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Brothers Smiley and Dandrae Martin, 27 and 26 years old respectively, are both in custody.

Smiley Martin was freed from prison weeks before the shooting and last year, he was rejected for earlier release after prosecutors argued he “clearly has little regard for human life,” documents show.

He was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun.

Hours before the attack on Sunday, Smiley Martin posted a live Facebook video of himself brandishing a handgun, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

Both brothers were wounded in the hail of gunfire that erupted at around 2am on Sunday.

More than 100 shots were unleashed in rapid-fire succession as hundreds of people scrambled for safety.

Ten people were wounded in addition to the Martin brothers. Smiley Martin remained hospitalized and will be booked on the charges when his condition improves enough for him to be jailed, a police statement said.

Dandrae Martin was arrested on Monday as a “related suspect” on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and being a convict carrying a loaded gun. He made a brief appearance on the gun possession charge Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court.

Investigators believe both brothers had stolen guns and are trying to determine how they got them.

Linda Parisi, one of the top defence lawyers in Sacramento, was appointed to represent Dandrae Martin as the public defender’s office was overloaded, according to the Los Angeles Times.

She told reporters that Martin was “very somber”, adding that “this is obviously very serious”. Ms Parisi said she was waiting to see if further arrests are made and what the final charge for Martin will be. She also denounced gun violence.

“It’s more than just the criminal justice system. As a community, we need to address gun violence,” she said. “We are failing everyone. We are failing our young people.”

Smiley Martin has a criminal history dating back to 2013. He was released on probation from state prison in February after serving about half of a 10-year sentence for punching a girlfriend, dragging her from her home by her hair and whipping her with a belt, prosecutors have said.

Martin might have been released sooner, but a Parole Board rejected his bid for early release in May after prosecutors said the 2017 felony assault along with convictions for possessing an assault weapon and thefts posed “a significant, unreasonable risk of safety to the community”.

Martin has displayed a pattern of criminal behaviour from the time he was 18, a Sacramento County deputy district attorney wrote in a letter last year to the Board of Parole Hearings.

It wasn’t clear if Smiley Martin had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Dandrae Martin, who was held without bail, was freed from an Arizona prison in 2020 after serving just over 18 months for violating probation in separate cases involving marijuana possession and aggravated assault.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg told reporters on Wednesday he had “serious questions” about why the brothers “were out on the streets.”

“And those questions need to be answered and they will be answered over the days ahead,” Mr Steinberg said.

Ms Parisi said an effort to seek Dandrae Martin’s release on bail will depend on whether prosecutors bring stiffer charges.

“If it turns out that the evidence demonstrates that this was mere presence at a scene that certainly argues more for a release,” she said. “If it shows some more aggressive conduct then it would argue against it. But we don’t know that yet.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report