What we’ve learned in past week about shooting that killed 6 in downtown Sacramento
The deadly shootout that erupted Sunday, April 3, in downtown Sacramento involved at least five shooters and appears to have begun as a gang-related dispute, police have said in the days following the tragedy, but many details remain unknown.
Six were killed and 12 others wounded near 10th and K streets, making it the worst shooting incident in Sacramento history in terms of both casualty counts. More than 100 shell casings were found after shots broke out around 2 a.m., as bars and nightclubs hit closing time.
Police have not specified the identities of the five suspected shooters, but said in a Wednesday announcement that “an exchange of gunfire took place between at least two groups of men.”
Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester first said Sunday afternoon that law enforcement confirmed there were multiple shooters.
Developments have continued in the days since. Here is what we’ve learned since Sunday.
Three arrested, no homicide charges
Sacramento police have announced three arrests in connection with Sunday’s events: Dandrae Martin, 26; his brother Smiley Martin, 27; and Daviyon Dawson, 31.
Smiley Martin, who as of Friday remained hospitalized with gunshot injuries, faces a charge of possessing a machine gun.
Police said Dawson was seen carrying a firearm in Sunday’s aftermath but that they do not believe it was used in the shooting, based on the type of gun it was. He left jail on $500,000 bail Tuesday, and on Wednesday was formally charged.
Dandrae Martin, who made a brief court appearance last week, remains in jail, due back in court April 26.
None of the three arrested suspects as of Friday were facing charges of homicide or firing a weapon. Their current charges relate to firearms possession.
All victims named by coroner
Sacramento County coroner’s officials confirmed the identities of all six deceased victims on Monday morning.
The three men killed were Sergio Harris, 38, of North Highlands; DeVazia Turner, 29, of Carmichael; and Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32, of Salinas.
The three women killed were Johntaya Alexander, 21, of Elk Grove; Melinda Davis, 57; and Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21, of Selma.
Police have not said whether any shooters may have been among the deceased.
“We haven’t ruled that out and we haven’t ruled that in,” police spokesman Sgt. Zach Eaton said.
Converted handgun found
Authorities haven’t released specific details on what weapons may have been used in the shooting but police announced Monday that a stolen handgun was recovered from the shooting scene.
Police then disclosed Tuesday that the handgun had been converted to fully automatic.
Smiley Martin faces the charge of being in possession of a machine gun.
Gang-related, but officials haven’t confirmed affiliations
The Sacramento Police Department in a Wednesday news release said “gangs & gang violence are inseparable” from Sunday’s shootings, but said officials could not elaborate on “precise gang affiliation of individuals involved.”
Court records and police statements show at least three of the men killed were believed to be gang members.
Sacramento Superior Court documents refer to Harris as a member of the Del Paso Heights Bloods. Salinas police have identified another deceased victim, Hoye-Lucchesi, as a member of the Crips in North Sacramento.
Court filings show Dawson has felony cases from 2012, 2014 and 2015, and documents say he was charged in 2014 with a Halloween assault on a man as a member of the Starz street gang.
The complaint filed against Dawson in last week’s shooting says he also has a prior 2016 conviction in Sacramento for “street terrorism.”
Detectives still are working to identify gang affiliations for others who may have been involved.
Facebook video shows one of men arrested with gun
A Facebook live video posted by Smiley Martin hours before the shooting showed him waving a gun and talking with a group of men about going to a nightclub.
Hoye-Lucchesi appeared in that video, as well as in other recent Facebook posts by Martin.
The authenticity of the video, which was reviewed by The Sacramento Bee, was confirmed by a law enforcement source.
March in downtown Sacramento planned for Sunday
Local leaders, activists and community members walked in a march against gun violence Sunday downtown. Berry Accius, a community activist and head of the local Voice of the Youth mentoring program, organized Sunday’s march, which Mayor Darrell Steinberg promoted in a Friday blog post.
This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 12:18 PM with the headline "What we’ve learned in past week about shooting that killed 6 in downtown Sacramento."
