Downtown Sacramento mass shooting ‘chaos’ recalled as court hearing begins for 3 defendants

Sacramento prosecutors began their methodical process Friday of recounting in court how one of the largest mass shootings in city history played out on April 3, 2022, leaving six people dead and 12 others wounded as hundreds of bystanders ran in terror and created what witnesses described as “chaos.”

“It was pretty chaotic and hostile,” California Highway Patrol Officer Nathan Davies, one of the first officers on scene at 10th and K streets, testified. “They were yelling obscenities and blaming us for the situation.

“Myself and a bunch of other officers formed a skirmish line” and pushed a crowd of 100 to 200 people north toward J Street.

Officers testified that even as they sought to provide medical aid to gunshot victims lying on the streets and sidewalks, members of the crowd screamed at them and tried to stop them, with one bystander ending up under arrest.

“The scene was chaotic, there were a lot of emotions ranging from sadness to anger,” CHP Officer Kilee Lindsay testified. “There were 100 to 200 people still remaining on scene.

“They were very upset, whether it was for providing medical aid or not providing medical aid. There was a lot of emotion on scene.”

The testimony came on the first day of a preliminary hearing in Sacramento Superior Court before Judge Maryanne Gilliard as prosecutors Brad Ng and Kristen Andersen seek to show there is enough evidence for murder suspects Smiley Martin, 23; his brother Dandrae, 28; and Mtula Payton, 29, to face trial on murder charges.

All three are being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail and have pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the shooting deaths of Yamile Martinez, 21; Johntaya Alexander, 21; and Melinda Davis, 57.

Authorities believe the three were innocent bystanders cut down in a hail of bullets between two groups of shooters that left three others in the groups — Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; DeVazia Turner, 29; and Sergio Harris, 38 — dead from gunshot wounds.

The melee began just after 2 a.m. downtown on a Sunday morning during which the downtown streets were crowded with people leaving area clubs and restaurants.

Court records say the shootout appeared to stem from a confrontation near Sharif Jewelers at 10th and K streets, with two groups of gang members squaring off.

Prosecutors built their case in part from video obtained from a dozen cameras downtown and say investigators recovered 114 spent shell casings littering the streets and sidewalks along the K Street Mall.

Court records say Smiley Martin fired 28 rounds from a fully automatic Glock 19 handgun with a laser sight and an extended, 30-round magazine that he tossed away at 1029 K St. after being wounded in the shootout.

Court papers say Dandrae Martin and Payton also were seen on video firing handguns as the gun battle raged.

The hearing, which is scheduled to continue through Friday afternoon and resume one week later on Jan. 26, is expected to last into March.

Family members of victims crowded into the third-floor courtroom, some weeping softly and passing around a box of tissues as testimony began and lawyers showed photos and videos from the scene.

At one point, when prosecutors showed a photo of the bodies of Martinez and Hoye dead on the sidewalk, several women in the courtroom audience began weeping and moved to go out into the hallway. One woman collapsed as she made her way toward the aisle, with deputies rushing to help her.

For several minutes, as testimony continued, weeping could still be heard from the hall.

Another photo displayed on a courtroom screen showed the bodies of three of the victims lying on 10th Street just north of K, and video from a body camera worn by Sacramento police Sgt. Ashley Schiele showed her jumping out of her patrol car and running until she found Smiley Martin on the ground suffering from gunshot wounds near the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.

“You hit? You hit, sir, you hit?” an officer can be heard yelling as they ran down a street until finding Smiley Martin wounded.

The three defendants, wearing orange jail jumpsuits and flanked by their lawyers — Norm Dawson and Ray Thomas for Smiley Martin; Linda Parisi for Dandrae Martin; and Reid Kingsbury for Payton — turned their heads toward the screen and watched closely as the video played.

After Schiele finished testifying, she squeezed past Smiley Martin in the crowded courtroom and the two spoke briefly. Dawson said later Martin was thanking the officer for saving his life.

The judge noted before the hearing began that security in and around the courtroom was unusually intense, but noted that it did not stem from any problems caused by the defendants, who she said had been respectful in court.

This story was originally published January 19, 2024 at 1:06 PM.