Shooting in Sacramento was a showdown between gangs: there were at least five shooters

Sacramento police say the mass shooting, which killed six people, was the result of a gang showdown involving at least five gunmen. Writes about it CNN.

Photo: Shutterstock

"We believe there are five shooters at the moment who were part of two gangs that had a shootout between them," Police Sergeant Zach Eaton said.

Eaton declined to elaborate on the gangs involved and had no knowledge of possible retaliatory violence, but noted that additional law enforcement units were in the city center ready to respond to any danger.

As detectives continue to identify shooters and weapons, the number of identified shooters could "grow beyond five," the Sacramento Police Department said in a press release.

“This tragedy is an example of something that many residents, unfortunately, are all too familiar with,” said police chief Kathy Lester. “The suffering inflicted by gangs is not limited to the members of those gangs. They are spreading, taking and destroying innocent lives, harming the entire society.”

The police thanked the public for their support and for providing more than 200 video clips, photographs and other evidence that helped them investigate the incident.

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The Sacramento shooting was one of more than 120 mass shootings in the United States this year and one of at least 10 shootings that weekend (April 2-3).

Three arrested in connection with shooting

Three men were arrested, although only one has been formally charged and is currently on trial.

The shooting occurred after 02:00 on April 3, six people were killed, 12 were injured, and the crime scene was littered with more than a hundred shell casings.

The police said the investigation is very complex and includes many witnesses, numerous videos and important physical evidence.

On April 5, police said they had arrested someone for "prohibited possession of firearms." Police said they saw him with a gun immediately after the shooting, but believe he was involved in hand-to-hand combat and did not shoot. He has not been charged with crimes directly related to the shooting, police said, and prisoner online records indicate he was released from custody.

The other two men arrested are brothers: Dandrae Martin, 26, and Smiley Martin, 27, were taken into custody on April 4 and 5. According to Sacramento police officer Chad Lewis, the brothers are believed to be responsible for shooting at the downtown crowd.

“Dandray has been charged with assault with a firearm,” Lewis said, but did not rule out the possibility that others were also involved. “There may be more attackers than the two we already know about.”

Dandraya Martin has been charged with possession of a firearm.

"This firearm has been modified from its original state with a component that makes it capable of automatic fire, and the weapon has been classified as a machine gun under California law," Lewis said.

Smiley Martin was found at the scene of the shooting early Sunday morning with serious injuries and taken to a local hospital, the Sacramento Police Department said in a statement.

Police said that after medical treatment for Smiley Martin is completed, he will be placed in the Sacramento County Main Jail on charges of possession of a firearm and possession of a machine gun.

The Martin brothers were among the dozens of people injured in the shooting.

The court session in the Dandrae Martin case is scheduled for April 26.

The shooting may have been preceded by a fight

The shooting took place in a busy part of the city center.

A video posted to social media shows an altercation before the shooting.

"We are currently working to determine how these events are relevant to the shooting," the statement said.

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Detectives have since found "hundreds of clues at the scene," including more than 100 shell casings. Investigators also found a stolen handgun that had been "turned into a weapon capable of automatic fire." According to police, at least three buildings and three cars were hit by bullets.

“There were a lot of shots fired that night, meaning the investigation is going to be complicated,” Police Chief Katherine Lester said. She stated that there were several shooters, and a big fight preceded the shootout.

The youngest victim was 21

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the six dead:

• Jontaya Alexandra, 21 years old
• Melinda Davis, 57
• Sergio Harris, 38
• Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32
• Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21
• Devasia Turner, 29

Sacramento officials have expressed disappointment at the repeated incidents of gun violence in the city and called for action to prevent more shootings.

The weekend shooting was the second mass shooting in Sacramento in the past five weeks. On February 28, a man shot and killed his three children and another man in a church. The shooter committed suicide, police said.

Mayor Darrell Steinberg said decisions (not good wishes) are needed to help change the trajectory of gun violence in America.

“Thoughts and prayers are not enough,” he says. “Now is not the time to have a reasonable conversation about guns in America. We are sick – it is a disease in our country, it is a disease in our culture.”

Sacramento will continue to invest in programs focused on early intervention and youth violence prevention, he said.

“In our city, we will take stock and do everything possible – in terms of investment, public safety, weapons – to protect the population,” Steinberg said.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• Pop duo Aly & AJ reveal they had to hide during mass shooting in Sacramento - Six people were killed and several wounded.
• The police arrested one suspect. This shooting has become the most massive in the history of Sacramentabout.

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