Sacramento DA files murder charges against 3 alleged gang members involved in April shooting that left 6 dead
One of the suspects, Mtula Payton, is still on the run
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Three alleged gang members are now facing three counts of murder each for their involvement in a gunfight last month in downtown Sacramento that left six people dead and a dozen others wounded, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced Tuesday.
"What we know is that this was clearly gang-related," Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said at a press conference. "There was a gunfight between multiple gang rivals."
The suspects – Smiley Martin, Dandrae Martin and Mtula Payton – were charged in the deaths of Johntaya Alexander, Yamile Martinez-Andrade and Melinda Davis, three women who prosecutors describe as innocent bystanders in the shooting.
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The Martins, who are brothers, are currently behind bars. Police are still searching for Payton.
The other three people who were killed – Devazia Turner, Sergio Harris, and Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi – were also gang members and involved in the shootout, according to prosecutors, which is why no one is facing charges for their deaths.
SACRAMENTO SHERIFF: DOWNTOWN SHOOTING THAT KILLED 6 IS RESULT OF ‘TREATING CRIMINALS LIKE VICTIMS’
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The shooting happened in the early morning hours of April 3 as people flooded the streets of downtown Sacramento after bars closed down.
Dandrae is allegedly a member of Garden Blocc Crips, while his brother, Smiley, is allegedly a member of the 29th Street Crips, a subset of his brother's gang.
Smiley recorded a video in the hours leading up to the shooting flashing guns and making threats, according to prosecutors.
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Payton is allegedly a member of G-Mobb, which is affiliated with the Bloods.
Surveillance video showed the rivals confronting each other outside a jewelry store and flashing guns in their waistbands before the shooting, prosecutors wrote in a court filing. More than 100 shell casings were recovered at the scene.
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All three suspects are also facing weapons charges, and Schubert said that more charges could be filed as investigators review evidence.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.