Teen charged as adult for Tacoma shooting that left man with 2 bullet wounds

A teenager sought since Christmas Eve has been caught and is being charged as an adult for a shooting that left a man with two bullet wounds.

Nashawn Gordon Cotman, 16, was apprehended March 31 and is charged with first-degree assault. He is being held in lieu of $5 million bail.

Charging papers gave this account of the Dec. 24 incident:

Police responding to a shooting at a residence in the 4300 block of South Bell Street found a man with gunshot wounds in the arm and abdomen. A vehicle also had bullet holes in it.

A witness told officers the victim and Cotman had been arguing on the home’s porch. Cotman was allegedly heard to say, “I’m tired of this ----, I’m gonna kill you.”

He then allegedly fired multiple shots at the victim, who was walking toward his car. The suspect then fled.

At the scene, the wounded man denied knowing who shot him but later in the hospital identified Cotman.

The victim said he had punched Cotman during an argument and was walking to his car at the moment of the shooting.

Police had been searching for Cotman since the shooting.

On March 31, officers were looking for Cotman at an apartment complex. A person there said he didn’t know Cotman. The person later texted someone, and soon after Cotman was seen running from the scene. A police dog helped take him into custody.

Cotman was 16 at the time of the shooting but is being charged as an adult, according to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s office.

This story was originally published April 7, 2017 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Teen charged as adult for Tacoma shooting that left man with 2 bullet wounds."