SEATTLE — A 33-year-old Seattle man charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his former co-worker at a downtown gas station has been arrested in Chicago, authorities said Tuesday. The suspect, Michael Anthony Oneal Fleming, is also being investigated in connection with a double homicide in Kenosha, Wisconsin, according to police.
Prosecutors allege that Fleming shot and killed Graeme Dobbeck on October 13 at a 76 gas station located at 351 Broad Street in Seattle. Court documents filed in King County state that the first-degree murder charge alleges the killing was premeditated.
According to the Kenosha Police Department, Fleming was located and arrested in Chicago following an extensive search involving assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Authorities announced his arrest Tuesday, the same day he was identified as a person of interest in a double homicide investigation in Kenosha. Police have not provided further details in the information available about the Wisconsin case or established a connection between the two investigations.
The Seattle shooting occurred shortly before 6 a.m. on October 13. Police said officers were dispatched to the gas station at 5:52 a.m. after receiving a report of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found Dobbeck unresponsive behind the counter inside the station’s convenience store.
Seattle Fire Department medics responded to the scene and pronounced Dobbeck dead. A preliminary examination by the medical examiner found that he had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head, face and chest, according to a probable-cause statement prepared by Seattle police.
Investigators reviewing security footage reportedly observed a person entering the store, bringing a drink to the counter and then firing at least four shots at Dobbeck from close range. The individual subsequently left the premises, according to the statement outlined in court records.
Investigators also reported that there was no evidence indicating that the incident involved a robbery or that a prior conflict had taken place between the individuals. The circumstances described in the probable-cause statement are part of the allegations supporting the murder charge.
Dobbeck had worked as the manager of the 76 gas station for more than two years. His killing prompted a police investigation that ultimately led prosecutors to charge Fleming with first-degree murder.
Fleming’s arrest in Chicago marks a significant development in the Seattle case, while his identification as a person of interest in the Kenosha double homicide has introduced a separate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Wisconsin killings.
The first-degree murder charge against Fleming remains an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Further details about the Kenosha investigation and the next steps in the Seattle case had not been provided in the information available at the time of reporting.
