SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento police announced late Saturday night that Mtula Payton — an alleged suspect in the K Street shootout has been arrested.
"Through their relentless investigation, our detectives developed information that Payton was residing at an apartment complex located in Las Vegas, Nevada," Sacramento police wrote in a press release. "Our detectives relayed this information to Las Vegas Metro Police Department in an effort to apprehend Payton."
Saturday, May 28, law enforcement in Las Vegas was able to find and arrest Payton at a residence.
"Payton will be booked into a custodial facility in Nevada and later transported to Sacramento where he will be booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail," police said.
WHO HAS BEEN CONNECTED TO THE SHOOTING?
Officials say at least five people opened fire. Six people were killed in the bloodshed, including three alleged gang members who were involved in the shootout. A dozen more people were wounded — two of whom are also alleged gang members and are now charged in the violence.
Dandrae Martin, 26, has been identified by police as a shooter. He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. On May 3 he was charged with murder.
Smiley Martin, 27, was seriously injured in the shooting. He was later arrested at a hospital on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun. On May 3 he was charged with murder.
► RELATED: Who is Smiley Martin? The 2nd suspect arrested in connection to Sacramento's deadly mass shooting
Both brothers have felony criminal records that include convictions for violent attacks on women they encouraged to work as prostitutes, according to prosecutors and court records.
Smiley Martin was released from prison under supervision of probation officers in February after serving less than half his 10-year sentence because of voter-approved changes to state law that lessened the punishment for some felonies and provided a chance for earlier release.
A chance at freedom even sooner was rejected in May 2021 after prosecutors wrote to the Parole Board citing Martin's lengthy rap sheet and said he “clearly has little regard for human life and the law.”
On April 12th, Sacramento police said evidence gathered so far indicates that Mtula Payton, 27, was among the suspected shooters. It was announced on May 28 that Payton was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The defendants were charged with the slayings of Johntaya Alexander, Yamile Martinez-Andrade and Melinda Davis — three women who prosecutors say were innocent bystanders during the shootout that occurred as patrons of bars and nightclubs emptied out onto the streets in downtown Sacramento.
The three men killed in the bloodshed were Devazia Turner, Sergio Harris and Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi.
A 31-year-old man was arrested near the scene of the shootout with a gun that police do not think was fired during the melee.
WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE SHOOTING?
Police have yet to reveal what led to the shootout, but a 15-minute video posted live on Facebook earlier in the night by Smiley Martin showed him brandishing a large handgun, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
The video posted about four hours before the shooting was believed to be shot in a parking lot in north Sacramento.
Smiley and Dandrae Martin were in the video, along with Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, one of the men who died in the shooting, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Investigators believe some of the men involved in the shooting were members of the Crips street gang, the official said. At least one of the victims had been linked by law enforcement to the Bloods gang, according to the official.
In the video, Smiley Martin repeatedly waved a handgun at the camera, saying at one point he was going to a club but didn’t have identification, the official said. He also spoke of an affiliation with a street gang and Hoye-Lucchesi could be heard making veiled threats against someone else, according to the official.
At other points in the video, it appeared the handgun was tucked in Martin’s waistband, the official said.
The video also showed local police officers drive nearby and call out to the group to ask if they had seen a child nearby, the official said. The men responded they hadn’t before the officer drove off.
Sacramento police spokesman Chad Lewis said officers were aware of video that included three of the people involved in the shooting. He said the video showed people waving guns and, at some point, a police cruiser rolled up.
WHAT TYPE OF GUNS WERE FIRED?
Police have yet to reveal what type of weapons were used in the shooting, but they have said more than 100 rounds were fired, which is based on the number of shell casings recovered.
Witnesses provided more than 200 videos and photos and tips that have helped investigators, police said. The explosion of gunfire heard on videos posted online had the ring of semi-automatic or automatic weapons.
A stolen handgun found at the scene had been converted to a weapon capable of automatic gunfire. Police were trying to determine if it was used in the shootout.
Smiley Martin faces a charge of possessing a machine gun, though police have said nothing about whether that weapon was used in the shooting.
The official who spoke on condition of anonymity said police were trying to figure out if the gun Martin was seen sporting in the video was used in the attack.
Police also seized a handgun during a search of three homes after the shooting.
WHO ARE THE VICTIMS?
They were three fathers raising their young children, a sister driving downtown to pick up her older sibling from a night out, a landscaper saving her pay for concert tickets and a woman living on the streets in search of housing.
The Sacramento County coroner identified them as: Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and De’vazia Turner, 29.
Documents filed April 15 by Sacramento County District Attorney’s office show that Hoye-Lucchesi, Harris, and Turner were affiliated with gangs.
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