Suspect in 2022 Sacramento mass shooting has died in custody, attorney says

A 29-year-old man who was being held on charges connected to a 2022 mass shooting that left 6 people dead and 12 injured in Sacramento, California, died in jail over the weekend, his attorney told CNN.

A 29-year-old man who was being held on charges connected to a 2022 mass shooting that left six people dead and 12 injured in Sacramento, California, died in jail over the weekend, his attorney told CNN. The suspect, Smiley Martin, was facing a murder charge, according to CNN affiliate KCRA. He was also charged with two felony firearms possession counts related to the April 2022 shooting that police say involved at least five shooters and left behind a chaotic crime scene littered with more than 100 shell casings. Two other people, including Martin’s brother, were also arrested in connection with the incident. Martin’s attorney, Norman Dawson, said he was alerted of his death early Saturday. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office announced on social media that a 29-year-old man had been found unresponsive in his cell around 2:15 a.m. Saturday, but despite life-saving efforts was ultimately pronounced dead. Though the agency did not name Martin as the inmate, it said the man had been in custody since Martin’s arrest date of April 20, 2022. The sheriff’s office said it will investigate the death and the cause of death will be determined by the county coroner’s office. Dawson said his legal team is “deeply saddened” by Martin’s unexpected death. “It is most tragic that Mr. Martin passed away, fighting to defend his innocence in the preliminary hearing process,” Dawson said.