Suspect seen in social media video with gun hours before downtown Sacramento shooting
One of the suspects in Sunday’s mass shooting in downtown Sacramento, which killed six people, was seen in a Facebook live video waving around a gun and talking about going to a nightclub hours before he was among the 12 wounded during the gunfight.
The man in the video, identified as Smiley Martin, was later arrested in connection with the mass shooting investigation. He remains in custody as he receives treatment for his wounds. Police obtained video, which was reviewed by The Sacramento Bee, as part of their investigation before it was removed.
In the 15-minute clip reviewed by The Bee, Martin is standing outside what appears to be a residential area near two apartment complexes. It’s not known where exactly the video was created.
Martin is heard in the video talking to the group about going to a nightclub, but he wasn’t planning on going inside because he didn’t have an identification card.
Also seen in the video is one of the victims, Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi. The 32-year-old is seen in the video and says, “Whoever you is, you don’t know where we at, you ain’t safe.”
Hoye-Lucchesi appears in photos and other videos on Martin’s Facebook page. He was one of the three men killed in the downtown shootout.
On Wednesday, the Sacramento Police Department said that the shooting was gang-related, adding that at least five shooters took part, but declined to elaborate further as detectives work to identify gang affiliations.
Court records and police show at least two of the men killed were believed to be gang members.
Sacramento Superior Court documents refer to Sergio Harris, a 38-year-old man who was killed, as a member of the Del Paso Bloods. Salinas police have identified Hoye-Lucchesi as a member of the Crips.
“We outside. It’s Crips out here,” Martin is heard saying in the Facebook Live video.
At the news conference at police headquarters Wednesday, spokesman Sgt. Zach Eaton, asked if shooters were among the victims, said “We haven’t ruled that out and we haven’t ruled that in.”
Shortly before the video reaches the 3-minute mark, Martin is seen pointing the barrel of a handgun at the camera — believed to be a stolen weapon converted to automatic use that was recovered at the crime scene. After he moves the camera, the handgun appeared tucked into his waistband.
What appears to be a law enforcement patrol vehicle drives by with a spotlight aimed in the direction of the group standing alongside the street. A voice coming from a loudspeaker on the patrol vehicle asks the group whether they’ve seen a 10-year-old and another missing child in the area.
Martin and others in the group with him respond in unison “no.” The patrol vehicle’s occupant tells the group “thank you,” and some in the group say “you’re welcome.” One of them says “have a good night” as the vehicle drives away.
“The police out here,” Martin is heard saying on the video. “But they can’t f--- with us.”
Someone else is heard later in the video saying, in a joking matter, “I’m just gonna start shooting whenever they tell me to shoot” as others in the group laugh.
Martin is then heard in the video saying “Yeah, keep that on the hush, though.”
The video ended when someone called Martin on his cellphone.
Martin, 27, was placed into police custody early Tuesday. After he’s done receiving medical treatment for his injuries, Martin will be booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of possession of a gun by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun, police said.
Detectives say Martin was in possession of a stolen handgun found at the scene. That handgun was converted to a fully automatic weapon — which is considered a machine gun — said police.
The Police Department has not released any further details about the guns believed to have been used in the shooting, so it’s not clear whether the stolen gun found at the scene was fired during the shooting.
Martin’s brother, Dandrae Martin, 26, was arrested Monday and faces a felony charge of possession of a gun despite a 2017 domestic violence conviction in Phoenix that prohibits him from having access to guns. He’s also seen in the video, leaning into a white SUV as Smiley Martin says, “that’s my little brother ... this is our car.”
Dandrae Martin appeared in Sacramento Superior Court on Tuesday, but he has not been charged with any alleged crimes tying him directly to the mass shooting.
The younger Martin also had a presence on social media, posting an update to Facebook three hours after the shooting: “Smh I’m hit…” Friends commented on the feed, asking if he and his brother were OK and offering prayers.
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Suspect seen in social media video with gun hours before downtown Sacramento shooting."
