A suspect was arrested in Sunday’s mass shooting in Sacramento, California, that left six people dead and a dozen others wounded, police said.
Dandrae Martin, 26, was booked for assault and illegal firearm possession charges, according to Sacramento police.
As part of their investigation, authorities served search warrants at three residences, which turned up at least one handgun, police said. The surviving victims have wounds that range in severity from minor to critical.
The shooting in the state’s capital city occurred in its bustling downtown area early Sunday shortly after last call. Investigators believe multiple shooters opened fire in the wake of a large fight.
During the preliminary processing of the scene, police said, investigators located at least three buildings and three vehicles that had been struck by gunfire. Investigators recovered over 100 shell casings.
More than 100 video or photo files have been provided to investigators through its community evidence portal. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office will be reviewing all evidence to determine appropriate charges, police said.
Martin was booked into jail in Sacramento County on two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and a felony count of a convicted person carrying a loaded firearm, per online records from the county sheriff’s office.
It was not immediately clear Monday afternoon if Martin had retained an attorney.
Martin also has an outstanding warrant from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon, jail records said.
Martin pleaded guilty in October 2014 to a misdemeanor charge related to a domestic violence case, according to a spokesperson with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. Martin was sentenced to 30 days custody and 36 months of probation. He violated two terms of probation, and a $5,000 bench warrant was issued for him in October 2015, the spokesperson said.
The victims were identified Monday by the Sacramento County Coroner’s office as Devazia Turner 29; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; Sergio Harris, 38; Johntaya Alexander, 21; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; and Melinda Davis, 57.
Harris’ sister, Kay Harris, 32, told The Associated Press that she had been asleep when a family member called her to say they feared her brother had been killed.
Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said the gunfire had been heard by officers near the scene at around 2 a.m. The officers rushed to the scene, administered CPR and secured the scene, the chief said.
At least one city security video camera captured some of the violence, the chief said, and investigators noted that some area buildings were struck by gunfire.
“The scale of violence that just happened in our city is unprecedented in my 27 years at the Sacramento Police Department,” Lester said.
President Joe Biden called on Congress for further action to address gun violence in the wake of the incident.
“Today, America once again mourns for another community devastated by gun violence,” he said in a statement Sunday.
“But we must do more than mourn; we must act.”
Mayor Darrell Steinberg called the shooting “a senseless and unacceptable tragedy.”
“Can we not have a sane debate where, on one side of the line, you say that people who want to use firearms for sport or for hunting or, you know, with reasonable self-defense on one side of the line, and on the other side of the line we say there is absolutely no place for rapid-fire assault weapons anywhere, anyhow?” Steinberg asked. “I mean, can we have that? Can we make that distinction?”
City Council member Katie Valenzuela, through tears, said she was “heartbroken” and “outraged.”
This is a breaking news story, please check back for updates.
Linda Takahashi and Erick Mendoza contributed.