The individual implicated in the 2022 Sacramento mass shooting has passed away in police custody, according to their lawyer.
Suspect Smiley Martin, charged with murder by CNN affiliate KCRA, also faced two felony firearms possession counts for an April 2022 shooting incident involving at least five shooters and over 100 shell casings. Authorities arrested both Martin's brother and Martin himself in connection with the violent event.
Martin's attorney Norman Dawson received news of Martin's death on Saturday. According to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, a 29-year-old man was found unconscious in his cell around 2:15 a.m., leading to resuscitation efforts without success and his subsequent pronouncement of death.
The agency didn't officially identify Martin as the deceased inmate, but he'd been in custody since the 20th of April 2022. The sheriff's office plan to scrutinize the incident and determine the reason for death, which will be reported by the county coroner's office.
Dawson and his legal team are deeply upset by Martin's unanticipated demise. He expressed that Martin was in the process of refuting the crimes against him, stating, "It's tragic that Mr. Martin died while he was defending his innocence during the hearing."
They offered their sympathies to Martin's family, committing to remain accessible to them in the upcoming period.
Sacramento detectives speculated that multiple groups of at least five shooters interchanged gunfire at the scene of the shooting in downtown Sacramento. This led to suspicions that it may have been related to gang violence.
At the time, Sacramento Police Sergeant Zach Eaton didn't disclose any details about the suspect's gang connections.
Suffering a devastating injury from the gunfire, Martin was transferred to a nearby hospital. His sibling, Dandrae Martin, who was also a victim, has pleaded not guilty to murder and the possession of a firearm as a felon, while being held without bond. According to records, Dandrae Martin's next court date is scheduled for the 16th of August.
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The legal team expressed their sympathies to Martin's family, acknowledging that they would remain accessible to them in the upcoming period. Despite being in police custody, Martin was still passionate about defending his innocence during the hearing.
