What happened to the suspects in Sacramento’s three deadly nightlife shootings? What we know
Investigators have identified and arrested suspects in two of the three deadly shootings that took place over the past six months outside bars and nightclubs in Sacramento’s downtown and midtown neighborhoods.
The first was an indiscriminate spraying of bullets as alleged gang members confronted each other on the street on April 3. Three suspects are facing charges in connection with that shooting.
No suspects have been identified in the second shooting, which killed a former high school football star as people were leaving a nightclub on July 4.
The third was another shootout after a group of people were kicked out of a sports bar on Sept 25.
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office has filed murder charges against Mtula Payton and brothers Smiley Martin and Dandrae Martin for their roles in the April 3 shootout. Six people were killed and 12 were wounded when gunfire erupted shortly before 2 a.m. as many gathered near 10th and K streets.
Payton and the Martin brothers each face three counts of murder stemming from the shooting deaths of three women killed in the crossfire. Authorities have said Yamile Martinez, 21; Johntaya Alexander, 21; and Melinda Davis, 57, were innocent bystanders struck by stray bullets fired by two groups of shooters.
No charges were filed in the deaths of three men shot that April night. Court documents indicate Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32, DeVazia Turner, 29, and Sergio Harris, 38, were involved in the gunfight or appeared to be armed.
Payton and the Martin brothers also each face a special circumstances enhancement for allegedly committing multiple murders. The enhancement could lead to the death penalty if prosecutors pursue it. The three men remain in custody at the Sacramento County Jail and are scheduled to return to Sacramento Superior Court on Jan. 27 for another hearing.
No suspects have been arrested or identified in the investigation into a July 4 shooting outside Mix Downtown nightclub at 16th and L streets, which killed Greg Najee Grimes and wounded four other people.
Grimes was a 31-year-old former football star at Inderkum High School and Boise State University. He was out celebrating on the holiday weekend with friends.
The Sacramento Police Department has said investigators recovered 11 shell casings and obtained security camera video of the shooting and identified “multiple witnesses.” As it did after the 10th and K streets mass shooting, the department shared an online QR code and link to allow witnesses to download video or information of the July 4th shooting.
Investigators arrested Michael Escobar in connection with the shootout outside BarWest, a midtown sports bar on J Street near 28th Street. The shooting occurred about 12:45 a.m. shortly after a disturbance inside BarWest led to staff ejecting a group of people from the sports bar.
It was unclear to investigators whether anyone involved in the disturbance was armed with a gun inside the bar, said police spokesman Sgt. Zach Eaton. But investigators have determined that at least one of the people involved in the shooting had been ejected from the bar before going outside and retrieving a gun.
On the day Escobar was arrested, Eaton said investigators still believe there were only two people who fired a gun in the shooting, and the Police Department at that time did not expect to make additional arrests.
Sacramento police arrested Escobar on suspicion of assault with a firearm and being a felon in possession of a gun in the shooting death of Alfonso Martinez Jr., 34, of Elk Grove. Escobar in December 2021 was convicted of being a juvenile in possession of a gun.
Prosecutors, however, formally charged Escobar with a single count of being a felon in possession of a gun; not the assault with a firearm charge. The court set his bail at $50,000. Escobar has since been released from the jail, and he is scheduled to return to court Oct. 11.
