Graeme Dobbeck was a kind, funny, and quirky man with a heart of gold, remembered by his loved ones for his dedication and generosity. A 36-year-old male, he had managed a 76 gas station near the Seattle Center for over two years, a job he took so seriously that he considered the station "his space." Graeme worked seven days a week and often went in on his days off. He was known for bringing lunch to his staff on Saturdays and for looking out for customers.
His father, Ben, recalled him as interesting and kind, while his stepmother, Pam, said, “He was just this kindness and love that was always there.” A co-worker described him as a “great boss” who was understanding and quick-witted, leaving his family and colleagues baffled as to why anyone would want to harm him.
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Graeme’s life was cut short in a sudden act of violence. He had taken over the morning shift from a co-worker around 5 a.m. at the station on Denny Way and Broad Street. Surveillance video showed a man, later identified as a former employee, arriving shortly after. After being unable to enter initially, the man went to a nearby 7-Eleven before returning to the 76 station around 5:11 a.m. The recording captured Graeme greeting the man, who then went to a cooler, grabbed a drink, and brought it to the counter. After a brief exchange about change, the man walked through an unlocked door behind the counter and shot Graeme multiple times at close range.
A customer named Fred Forrest discovered the scene minutes later when he stopped for his morning coffee. Seeing a stool tipped over and no one at the counter, he grew concerned. He walked behind the counter, where he found Graeme on the floor, unresponsive and surrounded by blood. He immediately called 911. Seattle Fire Department medics were dispatched at 5:52 a.m., but Graeme was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds to his head, face, and chest.
The Seattle Police Department responded quickly, with detectives and a crime scene investigation unit working at the station for hours. Interim Police Chief Andre Sayles was also at the scene. Investigators reviewing the surveillance footage noted that the attack appeared unprovoked, with no signs of a robbery or argument preceding the shooting. The gunman purchased an item, shot the clerk, and walked away without any apparent hurry. The store owner watched the video and identified the shooter as Michael Anthony O'Neal Fleming, 33, a former employee at another of his gas stations. The owner recognized Fleming based on his height, weight, body shape, and a distinctive "knock-kneed" gait. Fleming had resigned with two weeks' notice, and his last shift was 11 days before the shooting.
Following the identification, King County prosecutors charged Fleming with first-degree murder and requested bail be set at $5 million. An extensive search began for Fleming, who had moved out of the hotel he had lived in for four years on the day of the murder. On October 20, 2026, Fleming was located and arrested in Chicago by the U.S. Marshals Service. The investigation also revealed that Fleming was a person of interest in the deaths of his 59-year-old mother, Rena O'Neal, and his 57-year-old stepfather, Rodney Brushwood, who were found shot to death in their Kenosha, Wisconsin, home on October 19.
Graeme’s family was left devastated and searching for answers. "Why target that person, right?" his father Ben asked. He mentioned that his son had recently expressed an "edgy feeling" about the area but had not feared for his life. The seemingly random and brutal nature of the crime shocked the community. A co-worker who had left just an hour before the shooting expressed her disbelief, stating, “I don’t understand who would have wanted to do this to him.”
As of October 2026, Michael Anthony O'Neal Fleming was in custody awaiting extradition to Seattle to face the first-degree murder charge for Graeme Dobbeck's death. Authorities in Wisconsin planned to pursue charges in the Kenosha double homicide after the proceedings in Washington were underway. The Seattle Police Department asked anyone with information or video from the area of Denny Way and Broad Street between 5 and 6 a.m. on the day of the shooting to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
