SACRAMENTO – An inmate who died in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail early Saturday morning has been identified by his attorney as Smiley Martin, one of three suspects charged in the 2022 Sacramento mass shooting that left six people dead and 12 wounds
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office reports that around 2:15 a.m., officers conducted a cell check at the 5-East 300 Pod and found an inmate unresponsive. Deputies entered and began first aid, and jail medical staff also responded.
Crews from the Sacramento Fire Department took over life-saving efforts, but the sheriff's office says the inmate was pronounced dead at the jail.
CDCR
Norman Dawson, Martin's lawyer, confirmed that it was his client who died.
“The public defender, Amanda Benson, and I have been in contact with prison command. They are conducting their investigation. They will likely not provide any details until they have concluded that process,” Dawson said in a statement. “It is very tragic that Mr. Martin died, fighting to defend his innocence in the preliminary hearing process.”
The sheriff's office did not release Martin's name, but noted that the inmate had been in custody since April 20, 2022.
The Sacramento County Coroner's Office is now investigating the exact cause of death.
Sacramento mass shooting case
Martin was one of three suspects charged in the Sacramento mass shooting on the afternoon of April 2, 2022, which left six people dead. The brazen shooting in the heart of Sacramento's downtown corridor also left another dozen injured in what authorities described as a gang fight between “multiple rivals.”
Martin, along with his brother Dandrae Martin and a third man, Mtula Payton, were charged with murder in the shooting. All three are previously convicted felons.
Court proceedings in the case have continued. The three suspects last appeared on February 23 for a preliminary hearing.
Just weeks before the shooting, Sacramento County had agreed to pay Martin $7,500 in a settlement surrounding a 2018 lawsuit in which he claimed a jail guard was responsible for attacks by rival gang members.
