The Sacramento mass shooting that killed six people and wounded a dozen others was a gang-related clash that involved at least five people exchanging gunfire, cops said on Wednesday.
“As detectives learn more about the shootings, it is increasingly clear that gang violence is at the center of this tragedy,” Sacramento Police Department said in a statement.
“While we cannot at this time elaborate on the precise gang affiliation of individuals involved, gangs and gang violence are inseparable from the events that drove these shootings.”
The mass shooting in Sacramento on April 3, 2022 was a result of a gang-related dispute, according to the Sacramento Police Department.AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli 
The shooting left six people dead and over a dozen injured.AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli 
According to police, there were at least five people exchanging gunfire at the shooting.Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua via Getty Images
At least two groups of men were involved in the shootout, but cops said there may be more shooters identified as the investigation proceeds.
The shootout broke out early Sunday on a street as bars were closing for the night – and may have involved people shooting from a car, reports said. More than 100 shots were fired during the carnage.
Smiley Martin, 27, one of several men arrested in the shooting so far, had posed with a handgun in a Facebook Live video hours before the deadly clash. Martin, whose brother was also arrested related to the shooting, had been released more than 5 years early from a 10-year-prison sentence last year even though prosecutors warned he “has little regard for human life and the law.”
Dandrae Martin was arrested in connection to the shooting and is facing a weapons charge.AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli 
Smiley Martin had posed with a gun on a Facebook Live video just hours before the shooting.California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP
Martin is facing a charge for possessing a machine gun while his brother Dandrae Martin, 26, is facing a weapons charge. Daviyonne Dawson, 31, who was listed as a gang member in court charges, is facing a charge after he was seen with a gun after the incident.
None of the three men arrested have been charged with homicide.
Police say a community evidence portal has received almost 200 pieces of photo and video evidence.