One of the suspects in the Sacramento weekend mass shooting was released early from prison just weeks before the incident.
Smiley Martin, 27, was arrested Tuesday in connection to the incident that left six dead and a dozen more injured in downtown Sacramento. He was charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) told The Epoch Times in an email that Martin, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018, “had already received 508 days of pre-sentencing credits, and received a variety of additional post-sentencing credits” and “was released to Sacramento County probation in February 2022
In 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for domestic violence and assault with great bodily injury. Prosecutors said Martin entered his girlfriend’s home, punched her, whipped her with a belt, and dragged her from the home by her hair in that incident. Records obtained by The Epoch Times show that he has a criminal history dating back to 2013.
The Parole Board in 2021 rejected Martin’s bid for an early release in May because he poses “a significant, unreasonable risk of safety to the community.”
District attorneys last year vehemently opposed Martin’s release from the sentence.
“Inmate Martin’s criminal conduct is violent and lengthy,” Deputy District Attorney Danielle Abildgaard wrote to the Board of Parole Hearings in a letter dated April 29, 2021.
The Sacramento Police Department said that Martin was injured during Sunday’s shooting and will be booked when his condition improves enough.
His brother, 26-year-old Dandrae Martin, was arrested Monday in connection to the shooting and was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a loaded gun as a convict. Daviyonne Dawson, 31, was also arrested on suspicion of carrying a firearm as a prohibited person, officials said.
The Sacramento County coroner identified the slain victims as Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and De’vazia Turner, 29.
California in recent years has seen cases where violent or repeat offenders have been released from prison or jail early before committing crimes just days later.
