Sacramento mass shooting: At least 75 shots fired, 18 people hit, 6 dead, many questions

A memorial near the location of a mass shooting in Sacramento on Monday.

, Hannah Wiley, Jessica Garrison, Anita Chabria and Hannah Fry

April 4, 2022 Updated 1:42 PM PT

SACRAMENTO — Videos have emerged of the mass shooting in downtown Sacramento on Sunday morning that underscore the chaos of the situation.

One shows a large group of people fighting on the street, followed by rapid gunfire. Another captures multiple volleys of gunfire, including what sounds like a possible automatic weapon, before people on the street run for their lives.

More than a day after the shooting, many questions remain unanswered. Police arrested on suspect on Monday. A motive is not clear.

Officials said at least 75 shots were fired.

What led up to the shooting?

A video emerged showing a group of people fighting before shots rang out. Sacramento police said they believed a fight might have sparked the gunfire but were unclear about what prompted the conflict.

“At this point we don’t know this information,” police spokesman Zachary Eaton said. “Our investigators are still working through what actually led up to the fight. We understand there are some social media video out there depicting a fight. We don’t know if that fight actually led to the shooting. We are still working through all those details right now.”

“There is a video out in the community that appears to depict rapid fire,” he said. “But we are still working through the investigator report, so I can’t confirm that right now.”

What about the shooting itself?

Police were searching for what they said were multiple shooters but did not say how many. One suspect, Dandre Martin, 26, was booked on assault and possession of an illegal firearm charges, authorities said, adding that they’ve executed several search warrants and recovered a handgun.

Authorities suspect that an unidentified person drove through the scene and opened fire on a crowd of people before fleeing, according to a law enforcement source. The official spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity to discuss the case candidly.

At least one other person fired a gun, although it was not yet clear whether that person was also in the car or in the crowd firing back. It was not even certain whether that was the only crime scene, as a victim was also transported from another location a block away.

At least one handgun — later discovered to be stolen — was recovered. The rapid gunfire heard on videos suggested that, in addition to a semiautomatic gun, an automatic weapon may have been used. But a police spokesman, citing the ongoing investigation, would not comment on what is known about the weapon.

Three men and three women were killed in the street. Many more people were taken away in ambulances, while at least two people dragged themselves to hospitals for treatment of gunshot wounds.

Asked whether any victims were targeted specifically, Eaton said: “At this point, we don’t know the answers to that question, unfortunately. That is something we are going to be looking into. Motive is obviously always a key part of the investigations, so we will definitely be looking at that aspect.”

Regarding the handgun that was found, “I don’t have any details of what kind of handgun it was,” Eaton said. “It was found within the scene that we have roped off downtown… I don’t know exactly where it was found, but I know it was found within that scene.”

What do we know about the victims?

The dead include three men and three women. The youngest victims, Johntaya Alexander and Yamile Martinez-Andrade, were both 21 years old. The oldest victim, Melinda Davis, was 57, according to the Sacramento County coroner.

Also identified were Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; Devazia Turner, 29; and Sergio Harris, 38, who was previously identified by family members.

Seven of the 12 injured victims being treated at hospitals were reported to have been released.

Fred Harris Jr., 41, described his younger brother, Sergio, as “well rounded and well liked.”

“Everybody pretty much knew him and loved him for being who he was,” he said. “Everybody who knew Serg just knew he was all about a good time.”

He said Sergio was a father to three children, two girls and a boy.

Harris said that everyone was “pretty distraught” and that his phone had been going off all day.

“Everybody’s going to remember Sergio, he was just a good guy, well liked in the community. He did everything for everybody.”

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Richard Winton

Richard Winton is an investigative crime writer for the Los Angeles Times and part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2011. Known as @lacrimes on Twitter, during almost 30 years at The Times he also has been part of the breaking news staff that won Pulitzers in 1998, 2004 and 2016.

Hannah Wiley

Hannah Wiley covers the Bay Area and North Coast for the Los Angeles Times. She previously worked with The Times’ Sacramento bureau as a state politics reporter, covering the Legislature and pivotal policy issues including homelessness and housing, mental health, addiction, gun control and the state judicial system. Before coming to The Times, she covered state politics for the Sacramento Bee. Wiley has a bachelor’s degree from St. Louis University and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. She is based in San Francisco.

Jessica Garrison

Jessica Garrison writes about Northern California for the Los Angeles Times. She has previously covered Los Angeles City Hall, courts, education and the environment. As a reporter, her work has won a National Magazine Award for Public Service, among other honors. Work she has edited has won a George Polk Award and was a finalist for a Goldsmith Prize. Her book, “The Devil’s Harvest,” told the story of a contract killer who stalked Central Valley farm towns for years while authorities failed to bring him to justice. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley.

Anita Chabria

Anita Chabria is a California columnist for the Los Angeles Times, based in Sacramento. Before joining The Times, she worked for the Sacramento Bee as a member of its statewide investigative team and previously covered criminal justice and City Hall. Follow her on Bluesky @anitachabria.bsky.social and on X @anitachabria.

Hannah Fry

Hannah Fry covers breaking news for the Los Angeles Times. She most recently covered Orange County for The Times and has written extensively about criminal trials, housing, politics and government. In 2020, Fry was part of the team that was a Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of a boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara. Fry came to The Times from the Daily Pilot, where she covered coastal cities, education and crime. An Orange County native, Fry started her career as an intern at the Orange County Register.