On April 3, 2022, six people were killed and 12 others injured in a tragic mass shooting in Sacramento, California. A point we have been making on the need for identifiers in court records was on display in a story that appeared today following the arrest of a second suspect, Smiley Martin, 27. The first suspect arrested was Dandrae Martin, 26./1/ The two suspects are brothers. The story of the arrest of Smiley Martin notes that “[o]nline Sacramento Superior Court filings show criminal cases dating back years for individuals named Smiley Martin, but there appear to be different individuals with variations of that name and online records no longer allow provide personal identifying information online in Sacramento’s courts. Dandrae Martin also has a criminal background in Riverside County and the Phoenix area, records show.”/2/.
/1/ Sam Stanton, Sacramento police make first arrest related to Sunday’s mass shooting downtown, Sacremento Bee, April 5, 2022.
/2/ Sam Stanton, Second suspect arrested in Sacramento mass shooting is brother of man arrested Monday, Sacremento Bee, April 5, 2022.
Eric J. Ellman is Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Legal Affairs at the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA) in Washington, DC. He also served for eight months as Interim President and CEO of the Association. More