SACRAMENTO – An inmate who died in custody early Saturday morning at the Sacramento County Main Jail has been identified by his attorney as Smiley Martin, one of three suspects charged in the 2022 mass shooting in Sacramento that left six people dead and twelve were injured.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office reports officers conducted a cell check at the 5-East 300 Pod around 2:15 a.m. and observed an inmate unresponsive. Officers went inside and began first aid, and jail medical staff also responded.
The Sacramento Fire Department crew 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 it was his client who died.
“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 complete that process,” Dawson said in a statement. “It is deeply tragic that Mr. Martin died while fighting to defend his innocence at the preliminary hearing.”
The sheriff’s office did not release Martin’s name but noted the inmate had been in custody since April 20, 2022.
An exact cause of death is now under investigation by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.
Mass shooting in Sacramento
Martin was one of three suspects charged in the mass shooting in Sacramento in the late night hours of April 2, 2022, that left six people dead. The brutal shootout in the heart of downtown Sacramento also left another dozen people 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 all charged with murder in the shooting. All three are previously convicted felons.
The legal proceedings in this case are ongoing. The three suspects were last in court 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 alleged a prison guard was responsible for attacking rival gang members.
