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Sacramento Shooting Suspect Smiley Martin Had Been Granted Early Release

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Two of the suspects arrested in connection to the mass shooting that took six lives in downtown Sacramento over the weekend have had many run-ins with the law, records show.

On Tuesday, Sacramento police announced they had arrested 27-year-old Smiley Martin in connection to the shooting. He's currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital for serious gunfire injuries and will be booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun.

Smiley Martin was quickly identified as a person of interest after the shooting and remains under the supervision of an officer at the hospital, police say.

Detectives say more than 100 expended shell casings were found at the scene along with a stolen handgun. An inspection revealed that the gun had been converted to a weapon capable of automatic fire, police say.

Smiley Martin is the brother of 26-year-old Dandrae Martin, the first suspect police announced they had arrested in connection to Sunday's shooting.

Court documents show that Smiley Martin was in prison to serve a 10-year sentence for several previous felony convictions, but was released from custody early in 2022 after serving about half the sentence.

The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office argued against Smiley's release the year before, saying in a letter to the parole board that he had "little regard for human life and the law."

"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," Deputy District Attorney Danielle Abilgaard wrote in a letter dated April 29, 2021.

Dandrae Martin had served time in Riverside County in 2014 for domestic violence and also served time in Arizona for aggravated assault and domestic violence in two separate cases in 2016 and 2018. He was also found guilty of violating his parole in 2019.

On Tuesday, police also announced that a third suspect - 31-year-old Daviyonne Dawson - had been arrested in connection to Sunday's shooting. However, detectives noted that he was not facing charges directly related to the shootings.

A memorial was held Monday night for the six victims killed in the shooting. Family members, city officials and community members gathered in the Downtown Commons area - just blocks away from where the massacre happened - demanding justice for victims.

Five of the victims were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and are being remembered by their loved ones. But the sixth, Melinda Davis, was where she's been sleeping every night for years. The 57-year-old woman experiencing homelessness was caught in the crossfire.

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