SACRAMENTO – An inmate who died in custody on the Sacramento County Main Jail early Saturday morning has been recognized by his lawyer as Smiley Martin, one in all three suspects charged within the 2022 Sacramento mass capturing which left six folks useless and 12 wounded.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office studies that at round 2:15 a.m., deputies did a cell verify within the 5-East 300 Pod and noticed an inmate was unresponsive. Deputies went in and began first support, and jail medical employees additionally responded.
Sacramento Fire Department crews took over life-saving efforts, however the sheriff’s workplace says the inmate was pronounced useless on the jail.
CDCR
Norman Dawson, Martin’s lawyer, confirmed that it was his shopper who died.
“The Public Defender, Amanda Benson, and I’ve been involved with Jail Command. They are conducting their investigation. They will seemingly not present any particulars till they’ve concluded that course of,” Dawson stated in an announcement. “It is most tragic that Mr. Martin handed away, preventing to defend his innocence within the preliminary listening to course of.”
The sheriff’s workplace didn’t launch Martin’s identify however famous that the inmate had been in custody since April 20, 2022.
An precise reason behind loss of life is now underneath investigation by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.
Sacramento mass capturing case
Martin was one in all three suspects accused within the Sacramento mass capturing within the late night time hours of April 2, 2022, that left six folks useless. The brazen gun battle within the coronary heart of Sacramento’s downtown hall additionally left one other dozen folks wounded in what authorities had described as a gang struggle between “a number of rivals.”
Martin, alongside his brother Dandrae Martin and a 3rd man, Mtula Payton, had been all charged with homicide within the capturing. All three are beforehand convicted felons.
Court proceedings within the case have been ongoing. The three suspects had been final in courtroom on Feb. 23 for a preliminary listening to.
Just weeks earlier than the capturing, Sacramento County had agreed to pay Martin $7,500 in a settlement surrounding a 2018 lawsuit the place he claimed {that a} jail guard was answerable for rival gang members attacking him.
