Suburban man charged in killing of Chicago OEMC employee after months on the run
The video at the top of this story is dated.
Arrest made in murder of OEMC employee
A suspect is in custody in connection with the murder of an OEMC employee. Authorities said the suspect was arrested in Washington state.
CHICAGO — A suburban man accused of killing a Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications employee has been brought back from Washington state, charged with first-degree murder and ordered held in custody.
Suspect charged in OEMC employee’s killing
Darreon Plummer, 33, of Glen Ellyn, was arrested Wednesday at O’Hare International Airport by Chicago police and the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, police said.
Plummer is charged with one felony count of first-degree murder in connection with the death of Da’J Flowers, 36.
Darreon Plummer | CPD
Flowers was fatally shot inside her home in the 6900 block of North Bell Avenue on Feb. 5. She was found unresponsive the following day after co-workers contacted police for a well-being check.
A detention proffer filed in the case provides new details about the investigation and the relationship between Flowers and Plummer.
What prosecutors say happened
According to the proffer, Flowers and Plummer began dating in 2023 after meeting while living in the ABLA Homes. They later lived together at the North Bell Avenue apartment, where Flowers was the only leaseholder.
Prosecutors said Flowers told family members and co-workers that Plummer had physically abused her. The proffer also references a video that allegedly showed Plummer striking Flowers, choking her and throwing her to the ground.
On the day of the killing, Flowers went to work at OEMC around 7 a.m. She and Plummer exchanged text messages, during which he accused her of stealing money, prosecutors said.
Flowers left work around 3 p.m. and returned home. At 7:28 p.m., she texted a family member that she planned to leave Plummer. She did not respond to a follow-up message.
A neighbor told investigators they heard numerous gunshots, a woman crying and yelling for help, and someone struggling to breathe, according to the proffer.
Surveillance video captured the sound of one gunshot followed by 15 more shots at about 7:33 p.m., prosecutors said.
Flowers suffered 16 gunshot wounds. Investigators recovered 16 shell casings from the hallway and linked the casings and projectiles to a 9 mm Ruger handgun found in a pile of Plummer’s clothing, according to the proffer.
The gun was also swabbed for DNA. Prosecutors said one DNA profile was associated with Plummer.
What happened after the shooting
The proffer says Plummer left Chicago and relocated to Oak Harbor, Washington. There, he allegedly obtained a Washington driver’s license using the name Dajuan Jackson.
On June 13, police in Oak Harbor responded to a disturbance at a water park. Officers spoke with Plummer’s girlfriend, who allegedly said he had accused her of talking to someone else and threatened to hit her.
Plummer provided officers with the name Dajuan Jackson, according to the proffer. Authorities later obtained an arrest warrant, and he was taken into custody in Washington on Sept. 1.
He was later returned to Chicago and arrested at O’Hare, police said.
What they're saying:
Flowers’ brother, Demone Flowers, said his sister had expressed concerns about her safety before she was killed. He said she told co-workers that if she failed to report to work, they should check on her.
"It’s great that the suspect has been apprehended, but it’s still a long journey into justice and justice for my sister," Demone said after Plummer’s arrest. "And this is just something that, you know, even afterwards, it still won’t fill the void of losing my sister."
"I mean, he took everything, he took my other half," he said. "He took, just a good person from this earth to our family or friends to coworkers, to anybody that she came across."
Demone said his sister was a positive person who brought light to the people around her.
Flowers worked for OEMC because she was dedicated to helping others, her brother said.
The family’s grief deepened in July when Flowers’ mother, 53-year-old Surbezz Clark, was fatally shot while standing outside a BP gas station in the 7600 block of South Halsted Street.
Authorities said Clark was an innocent bystander when four men opened fire.
Demone said he is determined to seek justice for both his sister and mother.
"It will be justice for my sister Da’J Flowers. And it will be justice for my mom, Surbezz Clark. And I’ll be here until then," he said.
What's next:
Plummer appeared in court Friday for a detention hearing. A judge ordered him to remain in custody.
The Source: The information in this story came from the Chicago Police Department, Cook County court documents, and Demone Flowers, the brother of the victim, Da’J Flowers.