WASHINGTON - Jimmie Fleming, 36, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges stemming from a shooting in which two people were killed and another was wounded while in a car in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Fleming pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to two counts of voluntary manslaughter while armed for the deaths of Donchell Thomas and Derek Price, and one count of aggravated assault while armed, for the shooting of the third victim. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a prison term of 36 years.
Fleming is to be sentenced on Dec. 12, 2014, by the Honorable Robert E. Morin.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 13, 2014, at about 1 a.m., Fleming and a juvenile approached a blue Honda Accord near North Capitol and T Streets NW. Mr. Price, 20, was the driver of the car, and Mr. Thomas, 21, was in the back seat. A second passenger was in the front seat. Mr. Price agreed to drive Fleming and the juvenile down the street.
Fleming and the juvenile entered the back seat, joining Mr. Thomas. As Mr. Price drove the car, Fleming pulled out a gun and fired it at all of the occupants inside the car. This shooting was unprovoked and without any warning. Mr. Price and Mr. Thomas were both shot in the head and died from their respective injuries. The front seat passenger, who survived the incident, was shot multiple times in his torso and arm. The juvenile was not hit by the gunfire.
Due to the shooting, the car crashed at the intersection of North Capitol and T Streets. Fleming fled from the car on foot and ultimately ran to a nearby house, where he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department. A search of the home was conducted later that morning. Among other things, the police found a bag of ammunition in the defendant’s room.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division, crime scene officers, and the Fifth Police District of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughn and Paralegal Specialist Fern Rhedrick. He also praised the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Shana L. Fulton, who prosecuted the case.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
