In the early morning hours of July 18, 2021, a night that was supposed to be a celebration of new beginnings turned into a tragedy for 29-year-old Dara Northern, a Black woman from Washington, D.C. Known to some as 'Joan' or 'Cookie,' she had recently ended a relationship and was looking forward to a night out with her best friend. Shortly before 1:30 a.m., as she left her home in the 6100 block of 4th Street, NW, to meet her friend, she was unaware that her ex-boyfriend, Idrissa Fall, was
waiting for her.
As Northern got into the passenger seat of her friend's car, Fall approached the vehicle. He had followed her from her home and, after a brief interaction, he pulled out a handgun. As she was closing the car door, Fall fired a single shot, striking her in the right eye as her best friend sat beside her. In the immediate aftermath, her friend, fearing for her own life, drove away from the scene. First responders were called to the 6700 block of 5th Street, Northwest, where they found Northern critically injured. She was rushed to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. The investigation later determined the shooting had occurred in front of her home.
The investigation into Dara Northern's death quickly identified her 34-year-old ex-boyfriend, Idrissa Falls, as the suspect. Detectives determined the homicide was domestic in nature, stemming from their recent breakup. Evidence showed that Fall had disabled security cameras at Northern's home before the shooting, though he was captured on a neighbor's camera fleeing the scene. On August 2, 2021, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested Falls, charging him with Second Degree Murder while Armed.
Idrissa Fall was later convicted by a jury of first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm. The trial revealed that Northern had planned a day of celebration with her best friend following the breakup and that Fall had been critical of her friendships with members of the LGBTQ+ community. He was ultimately sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder of Dara Northern, followed by five years of supervised release.
