Jimmie Fleming pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of voluntary manslaughter while armed; one for the death of Derek Price and another for the
death of Donchell Thomas. Fleming also pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault for the shooting of a third victim in the car.
Police found three men in a car at the intersection of North Capitol and T Street. Price and Thomas each had gunshot wounds to the head and both later died at a local hospital.
Prosecutors believe the shooting was unprovoked and without warning, according to a press release.
Around 1 a.m., Price agreed to drive Fleming and an unidentified juvenile down the street, the press release says. Price, 20, was the driver of the car, and Thomas, 21, was in the back seat. The third victim was located in the front seat, according to prosecutors.
While Price was driving, Fleming pulled out a gun and shot all of the occupants in the car, except for the juvenile, according to the press release.
The shooting caused the car to crash and Fleming fled the scene on foot, prosecutors say. He ran to a house nearby, where police arrested him.
According to prosecutors, Fleming could face a prison term up to 36 years.
Charging documents say that a witness told police that the people in the car were quiet before Fleming pulled out a silver gun and shot each passenger, saying “bang” as he pulled the trigger repeatedly.
Fleming is scheduled for sentencing on December 12 at 12:00 p.m. before Judge Robert Morin.
Plea documents and a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office are below:
District Man Pleads Guilty to Charges In Shooting That Killed Two Victims, Injured Another
Defendant Shot Victims Inside Car Off North Capitol StreetWASHINGTON – 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.
