A man accused of killing a petrol station clerk near Seattle’s Space Needle has been arrested in Chicago, police said. Michael O’Neal Fleming, 33, was detained without incident by the US Marshals Service on Tuesday, October 20.
Fleming had been wanted in connection with the fatal shooting at a 76 petrol station on Broad Street on October 13. He was charged with first-degree murder in King County and was considered armed and dangerous while on the run.
Seattle petrol station murder suspect arrested
Seattle police said officers were called to the station at about 5.52am after a customer found the 36-year-old clerk behind the counter with gunshot wounds. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Investigators allege that Fleming entered the shop, bought a drink and then went behind the counter before shooting the clerk several times. Nothing was taken, and detectives said the killing did not appear to have been a robbery.
Fleming was a former employee at the station and is accused of killing a former colleague. Police have not established whether the attack was random or targeted.
Seattle police said Fleming left the premises on foot after the shooting. He was described as a heavily built Black man, about 5ft 8in tall, who had been wearing black clothing and a cross-body bag.
Separate Wisconsin death investigation
Fleming was also identified as a person of interest in a separate death investigation in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after police found a couple dead at a property during a welfare check on October 19.
Rodney Brushwood and Rena Oneal were found with apparent gunshot wounds. Investigators said preliminary findings suggested they had been dead for several days before they were discovered.
According to court documents, Fleming’s twin brother told detectives that recent messages from him appeared erratic and that he had asked for the address of their parents. His mother reportedly said he was in Chicago.
Kenosha police said Fleming is due to be extradited to Wisconsin to face charges relating to the double homicide investigation. He is then expected to be returned to Seattle to face the first-degree murder charge there.
The investigations remain ongoing. Police have not said what led to the Seattle shooting or disclosed a possible motive.
