BREAKING: Man charged with murdering former coworker at gas station near Seattle’s Space Needle, police seek public’s help locating suspect

ORIGINAL REPORTING: King County prosecutors on Tuesday charged a former gas station employee with murdering his former coworker at the store across from Seattle’s Space Needle. The charges came shortly after police released his photo and asked for the public’s help finding him.

Michael Anthony Oneal Fleming, 33, is charged with first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement in the October 13 killing of Graeme Lawrence Dobbeck inside the 76 gas station on Broad Street. Prosecutors requested $5 million bail. Fleming remains at large and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

According to charging documents obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show, Fleming had resigned with two weeks’ notice because he wanted to move, completing his final overnight shift on October 3, just 10 days before the killing. The store owner reported no known disputes involving Fleming and said his final shift ended without anything unusual.

The documents also reveal that Fleming’s mother and stepfather were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds in Wisconsin on Monday. That investigation remains underway.

According to the probable cause affidavit, surveillance footage captured the suspect entering the Seattle store at approximately 5:11 am, retrieving a beverage from a cooler and approaching the counter. Dobbeck appeared to greet him twice, but investigators reported hearing no response. As Dobbeck scanned the drink and handled the transaction, the suspect allegedly walked into the doorway leading behind the counter and fired a handgun at least four times from approximately one to two feet away. Dobbeck collapsed, and the gunman walked out before running across Broad Street, according to detectives.

Prosecutors said the shooting did not appear to be a robbery, and investigators had found no evidence of a conflict between Fleming and Dobbeck. “While the defendant has no known criminal convictions, it is alleged that he shot his former co-worker multiple times at close range for no apparent reason,” prosecutors wrote in their bail request. Investigators said Fleming was identified from surveillance footage.

Detectives also reviewed footage from a Seattle Police Department Real Time Crime Center camera at Broad Street and Denny Way. Seattle Socialist Mayor Katie Wilson had previously turned off some of the cameras and paused the expansion of the program.

According to the affidavit, a person matching the shooter’s appearance was outside the station when Dobbeck arrived for work, repeatedly circled the area, and appeared to watch the entrance before the killing.

Police later searched Fleming’s former room at a Seattle hotel, where staff said he had moved out on the morning of the shooting and mentioned taking a flight. Investigators reported finding a fired .38-caliber cartridge casing and firearm-related items. Detectives believe the murder weapon was likely a revolver, although the affidavit said the caliber used in the killing had not yet been determined.

Prosecutors said Fleming was believed to have fled to Chicago, but his current whereabouts were unknown.

The filing describes a separate investigation in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where police conducting a welfare check on October 19 found Fleming’s mother, Rena Oneal, and her husband, Rodney Brushwood, dead inside their residence. Preliminary indications suggested they had been dead for several days.

Fleming’s twin brother told investigators that recent messages from Fleming suggested he was erratic, delusional, and experiencing a mental health crisis. He also said Fleming had asked for their parents’ address, which he did not provide, according to the affidavit.

Seattle police said officers responded to the gas station at 5:52 am on October 13 and found Dobbeck unresponsive behind the counter with gunshot wounds. Fire department medics pronounced him dead at the scene. Police identified the victim as 36 years old.

Police described Fleming as a black man with a heavy build, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall. He wore a black hoodie, black coat, black pants, and a black crossbody bag during the shooting. Anyone who sees him should call 911 and avoid approaching him, police said.

The prosecutor’s office said no previous felony cases involving Fleming had been referred to it for a charging decision.

His arraignment is scheduled for November 2 at 8:30 am in courtroom 1201 of the King County Courthouse. Prosecutors said another date would be set if he is not present.