A suspect who has been arrested in relation to a shooting in Sacramento that left six dead had just recently been freed from prison on early release.
Smiley Martin, 27, was arrested on Tuesday (5 April) at a hospital in Sacramento, California following the shooting which took place in a bar in the early hours of the morning on Sunday (3 April).
The six people killed in the incident were identified as Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and DeVazia Turner, 29.
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At least a dozen other people were injured and Martin was arrested on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen handgun that was converted to be a fully automatic weapon.
In 2018 Martin was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for domestic violence and assault. Almost exactly a year ago the District Attorney's office opposed Martin be released from prison on parole, arguing he was a 'career criminal and a danger to the community', The Los Angeles Times reports.
A letter to the Board of Parole Hearings read: “Inmate Martin has, for his entire adult life, displayed a pattern of criminal behaviour. While the current case on review may not be ‘violent’ under the Penal Code, Inmate Martin’s criminal conduct is violent and lengthy.
"Inmate Martin has committed several felony violations and clearly has little regard for human life and the law, which can be shown by his conduct in his prior felony convictions of robbery, possession of a firearm and prior misdemeanour conviction of providing false information to a peace officer," the letter continued.
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Martin had a history with illegal guns, according to the prosector, having previously attempted to discard an assault rifle when he was contacted by law enforcement in 2013. He was also found at the time to be in possession of two fully loaded twenty-five round magazines for the assault weapon.
They added: “[Martin] is an assaultive and non-compliant individual and has absolutely no regard for his victims who are left in the wake of numerous serious offences. He has no respect for others, for law enforcement or for the law. If he is released early, he will continue to break the law.”
The Board of Parole Hearings denied Martin parole under nonviolent parole review in May 2021, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials, however he was released in February 2022. CDCR officials noted Martin had already received 508 days of pre-sentencing credits and received a variety of additional post-sentencing credits, paving the way for his early release.
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Martin was seen wielding a gun in a video filmed on Saturday, just hours before the shooting. His brother, Dandrae Martin, has also been arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon.
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Emily Brown