(Reuters) – A 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a shooting in Sacramento, California over the weekend that killed six people and injured 12 others a few blocks from the state capitol.
Dandre Martin was taken into custody on Sunday as a “related suspect” in the case, Sacramento police said in a written statement. Martin was booked on suspicion of assault and illegal possession of a firearm.
Police did not elaborate on Martin’s alleged role in the shooting or say if they were still searching for additional suspects. Police Chief Kathy Lester has said that “multiple” shooters were involved.
The gunfire erupted at about 2 a.m. PT (0900 GMT) on Sunday near the Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. The Kings held a moment of silence before its Sunday night game against the Golden State Warriors.
Police have said the massacre followed an altercation and asked for the public’s help in obtaining videos of that incident that had been posted on social media. The Sacramento Bee newspaper reported that the suspects had been at a nearby nightclub earlier in the evening.
Of the 12 victims who survived, police said the were “suffering from gunshot wounds ranging from minor to critical but stable.”
Investigators said they found more than 100 spent shell casings at the scene and that one handgun had been recovered following the execution of search warrants.
The violence took place in an area recently revitalized as an entertainment center and just hours after rapper Tyler the Creator had performed at the Golden 1 Center.
The shooting shattered a welcoming atmosphere in California’s state capitol as political leaders ease strict COVID-19 orders and bars and restaurants began filling with people long isolated by the pandemic.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
