Suspect sought as shooter in Sacramento gang gunfight has long history of gun violations

The suspected shooter Sacramento police are seeking in last week’s gang battle downtown has a lengthy record of illegal possession of firearms and was associated with one of the six people shot dead in the melee, court records show.

Mtula Payton, 27, is being sought as one of five people police believe opened fire near 10th and K streets, wounding 12 and killing six. Two of the other suspected shooters, brothers Dandrae and Smiley Martin, are being held on weapons charges, and Sacramento police said late Tuesday they are believed to be among the shooters.

Payton’s criminal history includes an October 2014 case in which he was charged with illegal possession of a 30.06 rifle and ammunition that he was prohibited from having because of a juvenile court conviction, Sacramento Superior Court records say.

Payton also was charged in a March 2015 case of illegal possession of a .22-caliber handgun, a felony count of possessing a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of theft from a Macy’s.

Payton ultimately was sentenced in the 2014 and 2015 cases as a felon in possession of firearms to two years, eight months in prison.

By August 2017, court records show Payton was charged with second-degree robbery, and he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and received a two-year sentence.

Following his release in that case, Payton was charged with possession of a .45-caliber handgun and driving on a revoked license, court records say, and was sentenced to serve 32 months.

Last year, Payton was charged along with DeVazia Pierre Marquise Turner, 29, of Carmichael, one of the six people shot dead in the April 3 gunfight.

That case stems from both men being charged as felons in possession of a .40-caliber handgun, court records say. Both men were also charged with possession of marijuana for sale, and on March 15 the case was set for a preliminary hearing on Monday, April 11.

By then, however, Turner was dead and Payton failed to appear for court, with Sacramento police saying his “current whereabouts are unknown at this time.”

“Detectives have made multiple attempts to locate and arrest him while exhausting all leads,” police said Tuesday.

In addition to the firearm and marijuana case, Payton is wanted on a felony domestic violence case stemming from an incident on April 2, just before the shooting, police said.

“Officers responded to the home of a relative of Payton’s and contacted a woman with injuries she said Payton had inflicted,” police said. “Officers did not have contact with Payton at the scene but submitted a report documenting the incident which resulted in an arrest warrant.”

Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call the dispatch center at 916-808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-HELP (4357).

This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 7:32 AM with the headline "Suspect sought as shooter in Sacramento gang gunfight has long history of gun violations."