Third suspect identified in Sacramento shooting that left six dead
The search continued in California and beyond on Wednesday for a third suspect wanted in connection with the mass shooting in Sacramento earlier this month, which authorities now suspect was triggered by gang violence.
The Sacramento Police Department on Tuesday identified Mtula Payton as one of at least five people who opened fire along K Street in the early hours of April 3.
Six people were killed and another 12 were wounded in the explosion of gunfire. They were identified as Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and De’vazia Turner, 29.
Payton is wanted on multiple felony warrants including on domestic violence and gun charges, according to CBS Sacramento. They stem from an incident on April 2 inside a relative’s home, where Payton allegedly harmed a woman.
Authorities were not able to locate the 27-year-old suspect at the time, but they have been searching for him ever since.
Another two men, brothers Smiley and Dandrae Martin, have also been accused of firing shots amid the mass shooting earlier this month.
Dandrae was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon but prosecutors have only charged him with a gun possession offense. He sustained minor injuries during the gunfire and has not entered a plea. His brother was more seriously injured in the shooting and arrested in the hospital on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun.
They both have criminal records.
The remaining two gunmen have yet to be identified by police.
