A Christmas Eve killing that shook a Fairfield neighborhood has led to an arrest, Fairfield police announced on Monday, March 30, 2026. Detectives say they have identified 24-year-old Jamere Burtram Franklin as the suspect in the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Darius Leaks and that he was taken into custody after officers found him in Sacramento. Authorities say Franklin faces homicide and illegal possession of a firearm charges and that he is being held in Solano County Jail.
Investigators had obtained an arrest warrant and tracked Franklin to a Sacramento apartment complex in an operation that involved Fairfield and Sacramento police, SWAT and the air division, according to ABC10. Fairfield police said officers moved in quickly once they confirmed his location and that the department’s investigations bureau will keep working leads in the case.
The shooting was reported on the 400 block of Cottonwood Drive, and Leaks was dropped off at NorthBay Health Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. At the time, police told the paper there was “no information to suggest an ongoing or immediate threat to the community.”
How police say the arrest unfolded
Fairfield investigators describe the arrest as the result of months of follow-up work after the December shooting. Detectives developed leads, secured a warrant and worked with Sacramento personnel to locate Franklin at the apartment complex where he was taken into custody. Police have not released a possible motive.
Charges and next steps
Fairfield police say Franklin has been charged with homicide and illegal possession of a firearm and was booked into Solano County Jail. The department’s investigations bureau will continue gathering evidence and coordinating with the Solano County District Attorney’s Office as the case moves toward arraignment…