‘I Tried to Get Us to Safety,’ Homicide Victim’s Best Friend Testifies in Trial

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A homicide victim’s best friend, who witnessed the fatal shooting, and a medical examiner testified before a jury in DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt’s courtroom on Jan. 15.

Idrissa Fall, 37, is charged with first-degree murder premeditated while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a prior convict for his alleged involvement in the shooting of 29-year-old Dara Northern. The incident occurred on the 6100 block of 4th Street, NW, on July 18, 2021.

Northern was located inside her best friend’s vehicle on the 6800 block of 5th Street, NW.

Prosecutors called on a witness, who identified herself as Northern’s “best friend,” stating they had spoken and spent almost every day together from 2019 to the day of the incident.

She testified that she and Northern had spent time together on July 17, 2021, stating “[Northern] was so happy that day.” According to the witness, “the week before [the shooting] was really hectic for [Northern] – she was very tense and upset. She was sad, really sad,” due to her relationship with Fall ending.

The friend stated that she and Northern agreed to meet up again late July 17 to go to a reggae club. As per the witness, she showed up to Northern’s house to pick her up so they could go to the club together.

She testified that when Dara came out of her house, Fall, whom she identified as “Idy,” was “on her heels,” following her to the car. As for Northern’s demeanor, the friend testified “she was defensive,” before stating Fall seemed “a little aggressive.”

According to the witness, Northern was attempting to walk away from Fall when he grabbed her arm, before she was able to pull away from him. As Northern tried to get in the car, the witness testified, Fall allegedly tried to stop her by holding the car door closed.

Northern’s friend said she told Fall, “hey Idy,” before he replied, “don’t say my fu***** name.” She also testified Fall told Northern “go on with that gay s***,” before Northern responded “you’re tripping.”

The witness testified Fall and Northern would often get into arguments about her spending time with her close friends, whom she testified are all part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The witness testified when Northern got in the car and shut the door, she heard a sound that seemed like Fall had hit the window. When she turned to see what was going on, the witness testified, she noticed a hole in the passenger side window, before realizing Northern was injured and leaned over.

“I called 911 and drove off. I tried to get us to safety,” the witness cried in court, adding “I saw Idy before I pulled off, still standing by the door.”

A portion of the 911 call was played for the jury before the witness came into the room, in which she could be heard screaming “Oh my God, he just killed my friend,” and “I don’t know what to do, please someone help me.”

“I begged her to please hold on,” the witness cried, stating she was paranoid as she sought help because “I thought [Fall] was coming.”

When asked why she was upset during her testimony, the witness stated “because Idy is here,” before providing an in-court identification of Fall. She also said she was “100 percent sure,” Fall was the one who shot Northern.

Prosecutors also called on the forensic pathologist from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) who performed the autopsy on Northern. The doctor testified Northern had a gunshot wound to the right eye. Further evaluation showed a projectile lodged in her skull, at the nape of the neck.

According to the doctor, the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

An officer from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) also testified that on the day of the incident he responded to a house at the 6100 block of 4th Street, NW to check on a woman’s welfare.

According to the officer, he was originally dispatched to the shooting, but was sent to the house by detectives to ensure the victim’s mother was safe.

In the officer’s body-worn camera footage, shown to the jury, Northern’s mom was visibly worried, asking if the check-in had anything to do with Northern. “Please, did something happen to my daughter,” Northern’s mom can be heard questioning the officer, as others swept the home to check for the suspect.

“This is rather confusing, I’m worried about my daughter,” Northern’s mom told officers. When asked if Northern had a boyfriend, Northern’s mom told officers she did, and that she had seen him earlier in the day, but hadn’t seen him for hours before the incident. She told MPD the last time she saw him, he was wearing black shorts.

Parties are slated to reconvene Jan. 16.