SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Smiley Martin, one of three accused gunmen charged in the 2022 mass shooting on Sacramento's K Street, died at the Sacramento County Main Jail Saturday morning, his attorney Norman Dawson told ABC10.
A law enforcement source who spoke on the condition of anonymity also confirmed Smiley's death Saturday.
In an earlier press release, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said its deputies discovered a 29-year-old inmate unresponsive in his jail cell before sunrise Saturday.
Deputies reportedly tried to administer first aid, but eventually called in the Sacramento Fire Department. Medics pronounced the inmate dead around 2:15 a.m.
The sheriff's office said that the Sacramento County Coroner's Office would determine the cause of death while the sheriff's office conducts an inmate death investigation.
Smiley, alongside his brother Dandrae Martin and a third suspect Mtula Payton, last appeared in court in April. The three faced murder charges in connection to the gang-related April 3, 2022 shooting that left six people dead, 12 people wounded and shocked Sacramento's popular downtown district.
The court case is in the preliminary hearing phase with the next hearing originally scheduled for Aug. 16. The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to an inquiry Saturday.
In a statement, Dawson said he and his team were saddened to hear of the death.
"I was informed of Mr. Martin’s tragic passing early this morning. The public defender team representing him is deeply saddened by his unexpected death. The Public Defender, Amanda Benson, and I have been in contact with Jail Command. They are conducting their investigation. They will likely not provide any details until they have concluded that process," the statement said. "It is most tragic that Mr. Martin passed away, fighting to defend his innocence in the preliminary hearing process. Mr. Martin’s defense team sends our deepest condolences to his family, and we are here to support the family going forward."
The preliminary hearings began in January and will determine if there's enough evidence for this case to go to trial. It's unclear how the death will affect the court case.
38-year-old Sergio Harris was one of the six people killed that night. His cousin was called to the stand to testify in April.
He was with his cousin downtown on the night of the shooting, but when asked questions by defense attorneys, he largely could not recall the events that happened, saying he got information secondhand from social media.
During the April hearing, the prosecution and defense also showed surveillance video of the moments that led up to the shooting. The video shows crowds dispersing just before 2 a.m., around the time Harris said he saw someone holding up what appeared to be a gun.
Some family members of those killed in the shooting were in the courtroom, wearing shirts with photographs of their loved ones.
In September, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said they wouldn't seek the death penalty for the three suspects, instead seeking life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
WHO ARE THE SHOOTING 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.
Watch more from ABC10: Audio | K Street mass shooting survivor talks, new details revealed about Sacramento crime
